False Memories
by Relden Calder
Summary: What do you do when you wake up one day with perfect memories of the next fifteen years? Why, every time traveller knows that. You Set Right What Once Went Wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto awoke, screaming. Quickly, he made sure that he was whole and intact.

"Just a dream... Okay. Ok..." No, not okay. He was decidedly smaller than when he last remembered. He looked around, taking in everything. He was not in the Hokage Tower. He was not lying in bed next to the love of his life.

He was in a small, two-room apartment that looked awfully familiar.

In a flash, Naruto was out of bed and in the bathroom, desperate to examine himself, to make sure that this was just a bad dream.

The face that stared back at him from out of the mirror was that of a ten-year-old blond shinobi in-training, one with ambitions that were the source of ridicule amongst others, not just in his age group. The whisker marks that had adorned his face since before he remember, normally shrunk behind an insincere mask of laughter, were now drawn tight in an expression of utter disbelief.

Uzumaki Naruto, the Sixth Hokage, last of the jinchuuriki and keeper of Myouboku Mountain's Sage techniques screamed inside his now ten-year-old body.

* * *

><p>"What the hell happened to me? I'm ten again? I'm back in my old apartment, and I'm ten! I'm not even a genin..." He paused. He drew breath. He went through the exercises for calming the mind that had been taught to him by Yamato... Tenzou...<p>

His name's not important.

"Wait... If I'm ten again, then did any of that even happen? How am I remembering stuff that hasn't happened? Gaara, Akatsuki, Danzo... Technically, none of that has happened, but... I remember it. So..." He frowned. Trying to puzzle something out, while never his strong suit, was certainly something he'd become better at. His innate stubbornness meant that he never stopped thinking about something until he figured it out.

But temporal mechanics was not something he was equipped to deal with.

Nor was advanced psychology, he mused. It was entirely possible he was just going crazy.

All right, all right. Let's see... Last thing I remember was the chuunin exams in Sunagakure... I was there as Gaara's guest of honor for the final matches. Then... some kind of attack.

Naruto hmm'd. If he was the sole target, he'd go bananas trying to work out the ramifications of his conscious self being sent back some... fifteen years? Wow. Seemed like a lot longer...

Focus.

Would this have any paradoxical effect? If this was really happening, why didn't he remember this? If he didn't, then could this all just be an illusion...? Naruto groaned and facepalmed.

Genjutsu. It was the only option that made any sense, and really, why hadn't he thought of it sooner? He was the Hokage, for kami's sake!

Carefully, he brought his chakra flow to a halt, letting it build up in his inner coils. Then, he forced it through his entire body, six times as much chakra as would normally flow suddenly surging through his chakra circulatory system. Considering how much chakra flowed out of his coils normally, he was confident that any genjutsu on him would have been easily disrupted.

A small cloud of dust rippled across the floor from the chakra surge.

Naruto opened his eyes, frowning. Okay. Not a genjutsu.

There was another problem. He hadn't really noticed earlier in his panic, but his movement was more awkward. It lacked the confident, steady grace he had gained from years of intensive taijutsu training, and his inner coils felt... cold? No, that was the wrong word. They were... less... less co-operative, he supposed. He facepalmed again.

Of course that was the case. Muscle and coil memory wouldn't carry over with actual memories. This body had never performed the hours of gruelling taijutsu kata and chakra control exercises, so it wasn't going to retain any of that experience.

...Assuming that he really had ended up back in his ten-year-old body, and he wasn't just going crazy. But was there any way to make sure? Maybe find out if someone else had been affected? Or was there some kind of future knowledge he could use to prove or disprove his "memories"?

Right, yes. If he could perform a technique from his... future? Present? What the hell were you supposed to call the time period you come from and probably can't get back to?

Anyway, if he could perform a technique from... that time, then he wasn't crazy. He had a knack for pulling impossible victories out of his ass, but he'd never be able to just dream up ninjutsu that actually worked.

What to use... It would have to be something that didn't require the chakra control he had lost, so the rasengan and rasenshuriken were out. He doubted he'd be able to use any of his fuuton techniques either, since, again, this body didn't have the necessary training to perform chakra nature manipulation.

His fist struck his palm as if to say, Eureka!

Kawarimi no jutsu. It was a simple, Academy-taught technique, and more to the point, he hadn't... wouldn't learn it until he was eleven. So, if he could perform a kawarimi, then he wasn't going crazy, and his twenty-five-year-old mind really had been spirited back in time to inhabit his ten-year-old body.

...He was the one experiencing it, and even he thought it sounded crazy.

"Yosh. I'm either crazy or just in big trouble. Here goes!" Moment of truth. His hands went through the seals for the Kawarimi no jutsu. He molded what felt like the appropriate amount of chakra, chose the object he would substitute with, and...

He substituted with the fold-up chair next to his bathroom. Naruto exhaled, immensely grateful that he wasn't going crazy. No, he was just really, really screwed. Now that the immediate danger of insanity was removed, he felt really tired. He moved the chair back to where it was, and crawled back into bed. He'd sort the rest of this out in the morning...

* * *

><p>Yawning, Naruto awoke, and looked to his left, expecting to see his wife sleeping peacefully, and the feeling that everything was right with the world that sight would bring.<p>

Then he remembered what had happened the previous night. So, not just a bad dream.

Frowning again, he leaned forward, adopting his cross-legged thinking pose. If he could just remember more of what happened at the Sunagakure chuunin exams...

In the Kages' box. Right. That's where he'd been sitting along with the Kazekage.

Gaara. With Gaara, was... who else was with him...? Temari!

Naruto grinned triumphantly as, after the initial breakthrough, more and more fragments started falling into place. Temari and been standing behind Gaara and slightly to the left, there as his honor guard. Naruto, as Hokage, had brought Shikamaru, then a special jounin, as an honor guard, and he was standing behind Naruto and to the right. Next to Temari. He chuckled at that. Sitting on Naruto's left, and there in her capacity as his wife, and Hyuuga clan head, was... was the wonderful Hinata. How could he have ever forgotten about her presence?

He shook his head. He'd beat himself up later. What had happened next was... fuzzy. There was a surprise attack. Some kind of obscuring mist surrounded the Kages' box, and a huge wave of chakra and killing intent...

Naruto cursed. He couldn't remember what had attacked. It was an attack, of that he was certain, but he was also certain that the last attack(that he could remember) had caught everyone in the Kages' box. Naruto swallowed. Had... had he died, back then, in the Kages' box? Had everyone in the box died? The Hokage and Kazekage, their villages well-known to be close allies...

If both of them were killed at the same time, along with their respective liason officers, Konoha and Suna would be simultaneously leaderless, and have lost two powerful bonds: Naruto and Gaara were as brothers, and Temari and Shikamaru... well...

Baki was intelligent and influential enough that he could probably keep control of Suna in the interim, and Tsunade would likely be forced back into office, but their two villages would still be hurting from the loss of their leaders. Regardless of the progress towards peace that had been made in recent years, the political climate was still... untenable. A sudden weakness like losing their most popular and skilled leaders in a decade was a considerable weakness, and not one that any war hawks would be able to pass up.

That said, though, any war against Konoha or Suna would force the other's hand, and the Konoha-Suna alliance would dominate that part of the continent easily. With Rain Country boxed in on three sides, Amegakure would side with whoever posed the greatest threat as an enemy, despite their xenophobic foreign policy. That, in turn, would determine the balance of power amongst the other, smaller villages, due to Amegakure's central location. Earth Country, and Iwagakure, would end up boxed-in to the north-west, with any aggressive action swiftly repelled. Naruto doubted that the new Tsuchikage was stupid enough to try such a thing.

Kiri, though, was highly militarised, even by the standards of a ninja village, and had been involved in every War in the Great Nations' history since it's founding. Would they try anything? That was unlikely. Naruto had met the Mizukage, and she was generally lackadaisical regarding diplomacy with the mainland. Understandable, considering Kiri's remote location and monopoly over island nations and sea-based protection. If war did break out on the mainland, though, Kiri would become involved as a destabilising factor, antagonising either everyone or whichever side they thought was more powerful. This was due as much to strategy as it was pride; Kirigakure's ninja had always been proud warriors, and would seek to prove their superiority by aligning themselves against the most powerful opponents they could. That this strategy allowed them to ensure that the war would be costly enough that no mainland power could threaten Water Country afterwards was only prudent justification.

Kumo, though... Naruto cringed. It was no secret that of all the ninja villages, Kumogakure had made the most progress in preparing for war, having started amassing resources and ninjutsu since the Third War had ended. The war hawks in that village would have a louder voice than anywhere else, and were most likely to begin a new war. Naruto considered the Raikage. The man was unpredictable and impulsive, though capable of great feats of spontaneous genius (or insanity, depending on how you viewed it), and held his entire village's respect. He was also a Kumo-nin, descended from the First Raikage. This was very important, and was the primary reason Naruto could not immediately say that he wouldn't do anything... well, unpredictable. He wanted peace as much as the next man, he'd said once. He'd never said how that peace should come about. He was just as likely to try a blitzkrieg attack at the first sign of weakness as he was to continue with the very slowly progressing de-militarisation.

If anyone but the Raikage tried to start a war, it would quickly fizzle out. If the Raikage declared war, though, it would involve the entire continent and Water Country too. It would be HUGE.

Naruto sighed. The politics and warmongering of the Great Nations fifteen years from now were not relevant... yet. He needed to figure out if he had died, or if somehow his memories had really been transferred back. If he wasn't dead in the Kages' box fifteen years from now, then THAT version of him could worry about the war that might or might not break out. If he was dead in that box, well... He wasn't the only one that attack had hit. So, it was possible that Gaara, Hinata, Shikamaru and Temari all "remembered" as well.

But if he was dead, what this was, then? He had heard that people watched their lives flash before their eyes when they died, but he had always assumed it to be untrue, or at the very least, a lot faster than this.

Naruto hmm'd, and looked at a clock. He blinked.

Wait, didn't he still have to go to the Academy right now?

Introspection later, shower now!

* * *

><p>Naruto had a pensive scowl on his face as he walked to the Academy. It was out of character for him, sure, but he was still trying to figure what the hell was going on. He looked around, taking in the glares and whispers that the civilians thought of as surreptitious. At least the ninja he saw were a little better at hiding their distaste at his presence, but he wasn't sure if the fact he could tell was down to them being lax or newfound observational skills from his little time-jump. Naruto hadn't realised until then just how much the village's opinion of him had changed over time. He'd simply assumed he was better at ignoring the glares, the dark whispers, the general hostility.<p>

But then, how would he have become Hokage if everyone still hated him?

An ANBU-nin discreetly 'removed' a rogue chuunin who was about to make an attempt, and Naruto very nearly snorted in disbelief. How had he never noticed the ANBU-nin before? They weren't very stealthy around him.

Which was probably to let other ninja know that, yeah, he was being tailed. Naruto felt a whole new wave of appreciation for the Sandaime when he managed to count as many as ten ANBU-nin following him.

Sandaime. Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The old man was still alive. Orochimaru's "Crush the Leaf" plan hadn't started yet, or at the very least, it was still in the subtle machinations phase. He had to warn the Sandaime!

And tell him what? He asked himself, that he was remembering things that hadn't happened yet? He "remembered" Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune and especially the rest of the Konoha Eleven, even though he hadn't even met Team Gai yet. He even remembered Sai, and he sure as hell hadn't met him yet! Naruto smirked, a genuine smile in the face of hostility this time.

Ah, Sai. He was a git at first, but he got better.

Oh, yeah. He got better.

A fierce grin was born as he remembered Sai's instrumental role in deposing Danzo. The look of utter shock on that bastard's face... That any of his minions could entertain even the mere concept of betraying him! The number of charges they got on him was impressive, though; Six counts of conspiracy for treason against Konoha, three counts of conspiracy against different Hokages, thirty-seven counts of conspiracy against the village Council (Naruto didn't blame him for those)... A lot of conspiracy charges, but only one of them had to stick.

They got four. Funnily enough, it wasn't even for conspiracy. It was full-on Pre-meditated Treason they got him for. Danzou was probably regretting that botched mission to ally with Orochimaru by then. Yeah, thanks partially to Sai, Danzou was no longer a threat. Root was disbanded and its members deprogrammed, and Danzou himself, well... any one of those charges would have earned him a capital sentence. Unfortunately, a lot of Root's members committed suicide once they learned Danzou's fate.

Naruto's smile hadn't left his face, though it had faded a bit when he thought of how many had taken their own lives for Danzou's sake... But that hadn't happened yet.

It hasn't happened yet. And now I've got enough time to get as good as I can to stop it.

And he was going to stop it. He'd stop it all.

But first he had to find out if he was alone or not.

How to approach Shikamaru and Hinata with this...

* * *

><p>Naruto walked in, and sat at his usual place in the front of the class, his arms folded and his face scrunched up into his thinking pout. How could he go about this? He'd been thinking about how best to ask Shikamaru and Hinata if they "remembered" all morning. He hadn't really socialised with either of them in the Academy he "remembered", but Shikamaru had sometimes joined in on the rare occasion he, Kiba and Chouji had gone on a pranking crusade, if only because Chouji had prodded him into action. But those times were still damned rare.<p>

His attention was caught when Shikamaru, sitting in the row above and behind him, dropped a folded square of paper on his desk. He picked it up, unfolded it, and his breath caught when he read the message.

_Do you remember?_

He grinned fiercely. So, Shikamaru at least. Which meant he had the best analytical thinker of his generation on hand to figure it out, assuming he hadn't already. He turned to face the lazy genius behind him, who had his usual mask of apathy and annoyance on.

"Yeah?"

Naruto had to make sure. "This from you?" He held up the folded paper, and noticed the spark of recognition in Shikamaru's eyes.

"Yeah. What's your point?" Chouji, next to him, looked confused.

"Yeah. I remember."

"But are we talking about the same memory?"

"I'd still remember it fifteen years from now." Shikamaru twitched. A small tic below the left eye.

He remembered. Same as Naruto. Shikamaru let a small grin creep up on his face.

"You wanna talk about it later?" Naruto nodded, "Then how about the bench you usually use? Chouji'll come too, if that's all right."

"Does he... remember too?"

"He wasn't there," A scowl, "But I trust him." Naruto turned his gaze to Chouji, who looked very lost amidst his friend's doubletalk conversation. He seemed more confused that Shikamaru was speaking to Naruto with something close to respect, like he was an authority figure.

The tubby(though he'd NEVER call him that to his face) boy was a good-natured soul. He was something of an outcast like Naruto due to his weight, and Naruto liked him. Chouji was one of the few who had never displayed any ill-behavior towards him. Chouji, for his part, now found himself on the receiving end of an appraising stare that was wholly alien in Naruto the prankster's eyes. He recognised it as somewhat similar to the gaze that his father used when he first met someone, but he had never been on the receiving end. Chouji shivered. Now he knew why it was so effective. It was like if you tried to hide anything from that stare, you'd fail some sort of test.

Naruto had always, quite loudly, declared that he was going to be the Hokage one day.

After today, after being visually dissected by the eyes which had made that promise, Chouji would never doubt that ambition again. He felt relief when Naruto finally blinked, smiled, and acknowledged that Chouji could come. He didn't know what they were going to be talking about, but after that... uncharacteristically serious look from the normally flighty prankster, he wasn't going to be talking about it to another living soul.

Now that Shikamaru's "memory" was made certain, Naruto's hopeful attention turned to the dark, timid and weird girl at the back of the class. If Shikamaru "remembered", there was a good chance she did too. Hinata.

She looked up, as though in response, and upon noticing his gaze, made a small squeaking noise and immediately looked away, her face faintly red. She was smiling, though, and her fingers weren't pressing together in embarrassment.

She "remembered". He knew she did. She had to!

Please... let her remember...

A sudden commotion at the door drew his attention. Sakura and Ino were entering, and arguing over who it was that would sit next to...

Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto's eyes went wide. Of course. Sasuke had yet to even activate his two-tomoe Sharingan here and now, let alone the Mangekyou. He probably hadn't even heard of Orochimaru yet. How many times, in his youth, had Naruto wished to return to the Academy? Before the chuunin exams, before Orochimaru, before Sasuke ran off, seeking power for it's own sake. How many times had he wished to return to simpler times, and cherish what little time he had with Sasuke as his all-but-brother?

He turned to where he expected to see him, his usual seat, by the window.

Because there were two seats in that row, and so he only had to endure the presence of one hopeless fangirl.

And there he was, in all his brooding, unassailable self-confidence. Hands held to cover his face, black eyes indicating his permanent scowl directed straight ahead. He was restless. He was here to learn. He was here to become powerful, and demonstrate that power to all who doubted him, who sought to drag him down into mediocrity. He was the last of the Uchiha, and he was the ELITE, even amongst shinobi.

This was Sasuke when his arrogance still outweighed his skill.

This was Sasuke before his eyes were sealed, and he was locked up in ANBU maximum security, chakra suppressing seals strong enough to imprison a bijuu lining the walls.

This was Sasuke before he rejected everything Konoha stood for, in the name of power.

Naruto was gaping, and he supposed it must have been obvious, because it was necessary for Shikamaru to rap him on the head. The look he gave Naruto when he turned around was clear.

_Play your part until we figure out what's going on._ He then nodded in Sakura's direction. Naruto nodded in affirmation. Right. Kami, this would be painful.

"Ne, Sakura...-chan," That was close. He'd almost missed her honorific, but his academy persona had never done such a thing. It was always -chan. It was depressingly clear to him now, how she came to think of him as a brother. As an annoying pest of a little brother, who then grew into a figure worthy of respect, but still a brother. "Ne, ne, Sakura-chaan!"

WHACK.

"How many times have I told you NOT to call me that!" The requisite punishment delivered, she turned back to Ino, to resume her fight. Except Ino had taken advantage of her distraction and leapt for the seat next to Sasuke. She stuck her tongue out at her pink-haired rival. Naruto shuddered. This was not going to be pleasant for him. "Naruto...! You cost me my seat next to Sasuke-kun!" He gulped. He was certain Shikamaru was enjoying this. He fought to keep the quaver out of his voice as he spoke. His Academy persona didn't know when to shut the hell up, after all.

"Che! Why would you want to sit next to someone like Sasuke-yaro?" WHACK.

"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun with such disrespect, Naruto-baka!"

"Sakura-cha~an! Here, why don't you sit next to me?" WHACK WHACK.

"Don't call me that! And why would I want to sit next to you, IDIOT?" WHACK again, for good measure. She wandered off to take the seat immediately behind Sasuke, glaring daggers at Ino the entire way, just before Iruka and Mizuki walked into the class.

"Right, everyone, settle down!" Naruto did, his grin appearing again at the sight of the first person to acknowledge him. Not even the sight of Mizuki the traitor could change that. "Today, as you know, we've got taijutsu after lunch. First, we're continuing chakra manipulation theory." There was a groan from nearly the entire class. "Tell you what, if I think you've all demonstrated a good hold on the basic theory, we'll start on Henge no jutsu at the end of the week. No?" The class erupted into cheers which quickly subdued as they made sure to catch every last word.

* * *

><p>Naruto cracked his stiff neck as he walked outside. Iruka was just as compelling in his subject matter as he remembered, while he'd managed to make it interesting using a combination of honest enthusiasm and incentives. So much so, that, even though Naruto knew everything in the lesson and far more besides, he couldn't help but be drawn in as he had when he was still at the Academy.<p>

He blinked. He WAS still at the Academy. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Getting used to using the correct tense would take a while, at least in his personal thoughts. He broke off from that tangent when he spotted Chouji and Shikamaru sitting at Naruto's usual bench.

"OI! Shikamaru!" Chouji looked slightly less confused than earlier, though if that was because he thought things were about to be explained or if he was just better at hiding it since then... was irrelevant. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"What do you think, Rokudaime?"

"Um, there are still ANBU following me around at this point, you know."

"So? To them, we're just having a childish conversation, lost in the halls of ambition and fantasy... right, Rokudaime? Though..." He smirked, "The genjutsu I'm using doesn't hurt." Chouji paled at the thought that Naruto was being followed by ANBU. Shikamaru's smirk vanished as he went into strategist mode, lowering his voice. "How much do you remember? Up to what point?"

"Ano... Naruto... Why are there ANBU following you around?"

"To stop people from killing me." Naruto's honest answer probably shocked the rotund boy, but he ignored that as he responded to Shikamaru's question. "I can remember up to the third match, but after that, it's a little fuzzy. I know there was a mist, and someone attacked the box, but..." Shikamaru nodded, placing his hands into the square formation he used to think. "Shikamaru... what happened to us? Are we...?"

"Stop. Say nothing else. We don't want our imaginations to run away with us. Go get Hinata. If she remembers as well, then I'll have a bit more to work with."

"Shikamaru!"

"...I don't know. I don't know, and I can't figure it out yet. Now get Hinata." Naruto was not happy with that answer, but he left the two of them there anyway.

"...Shikamaru, what's going on? Why do people want to kill Naruto? What was he...? What attack? Shikamaru, what's going on?" Shikamaru barely moved hs lips when he repsonded.

"Chouji. There are some questions that, legally, only Naruto will be able to answer, but, the rest..." He took a deep breath, composing his thoughts. "Last night, I woke up with memories. Memories that hadn't happened, and that I couldn't possibly have unless something impossible happened. But it has, and I do, and I really hope you appreciate just how serious this situation is, because for once in my life... I don't know what's going on." Chouji looked at his friend of four years. Shikamaru, although he looked lost in concentration, had an all-too-real look of helpless realisation etched across his face. "I don't know..."

Naruto spotted Hinata fairly easily. She was watching him from afar again, partially hidden behind a kunai target. A grin was the only indication that he was happy to see her. Granted, it was a very wide grin...

He ran up to her, and she seemed paralyzed by indecision. Still have to keep up the act... Hinata and I didn't even properly meet until the chuunin exams.

"Oi, you're Hinata, ne?" She nodded, a light flush creeping up her face. "You don't seem like the other girls... how come you're smart?"

"Eh?"

"Well, you're not chasing after Sasuke like the others, so I figured that meant you're smarter than Sakura-chan." Her blush accelerated. He leaned in close, and whispered conspiratorially, "So...

"Do you remember?"

When Naruto, her Naruto from fifteen years ago, asked her that, Hinata knew exactly what he meant. It was all she could do to stop herself from flinging her arms around him and shouting that yes! Yes, she remembered everything!

When she had woken in the middle of the night, she'd almost screamed, and was torn between wishing it not to be real, and wishing it was. So much that she didn't want to consider if it was real... so much that could go wrong, that should have gone wrong...

But if it was real, if it was really real, and she was with Naruto, made him happy, made him laugh, and he did the same for her...

But that was last night. She still had a part to play, here, and squeaked out,

"Y-yes! I remember, Naruto-kun!" She was telling the truth, and Naruto knew it. His grin became absolutely blinding. Hinata, his Hinata-hime, the REAL Hinata was here as well.

Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

><p>"Shikamaru!" Chouji responded, but not Shikamaru. Chouji had some idea of what was going on, and the very concept terrified him.<p>

"He...He's thinking." Naruto ran up with Hinata in tow. Chouji had no idea how she fit into all this. But still... his dad had told him who the Hyuuga were, and how to greet them. He stood and bowed. "Hinata-san." She waved him off, though more confident than the timid girl he thought she was.

"That's not necessary, Chouji-kun. Shikamaru-kun, what have you figured out?" He didn't answer at first.

"Shikamaru. Answer her." Naruto was, once again, uncharacteristically grave. "Shikamaru...!"

"...As near as I can tell, this is not a mass genjutsu, or we would not be able to interact with one another. It is entirely possible that this is a genjutsu that is affecting only one of us, with the responses of the others being manipulated by the caster." He cracked open one eye to affix his fellow memory-holders with a critcal gaze. "Have you attempted to dispel genjutsu since you received the memories?" Both of them nodded. "So have I. Which, while not ruling out genjutsu, certainly makes it less likely." He took a deep breath.

"I assume you've both already considered that we're just going insane?" Naruto nodded sheepishly while Hinata simply looked down. "That is no longer a viable option, unless we consider that an outside influence is actively seeding our respective environments with compounds to induce madness. Which, again, is not a viable option, since if they were, these symptoms would be manifest in others of our age group, or those around us. Chouji is living proof that that is not the case." Naruto looked stricken, and Hinata was just as shocked. They both knew what he was about to suggest now. "So, we must assume that the only remotely viable option left to us is the correct one...

"Somehow, we have received the memories and personalities of ourselves from precisely fifteen years in the future."


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto's head was still reeling. According to Shikamaru's best guess, this was really happening. He, Hinata, Naruto, and probably Gaara and Temari had somehow been transplanted into their fifteen-years-younger bodies.

Although, the way Shikamaru explained it, that was just how it seemed to them because they had got the memories. Their spirits or souls or what-have-you hadn't really jumped back in time fifteen years, that was impossible. They were still them, but they now had future knowledge, which was a very dangerous thing.

Of course, he didn't mention that his explanation was just as impossible, but it was more favorable than the alternative. They would have had to be dead for their spirits to depart from their bodies.

"How? And more to the point, if that is the case, why don't we remember remembering?" Shikamaru nodded.

"Are any of you familiar with Divergent Principle?" All three shook their heads. "It's a theory of temporal mechanics which states that for every choice we make, every event that occurs, another, opposite choice is made. For example, somewhere there's a world where Iwa beat Konoha in the Third Great War..." He paused at seeing their shock at the very idea that the Yellow Flash could have failed. "Never mind. The point is that the moment this happened, it created an alternate timeline. The future we remember wasn't affected because in that world, we never received these memories. Which means that anything we do here won't affect said timeline or memories, or cause a self-fulfilling paradox or whatever, so you can stop worrying about that, Naruto."

"I-I wasn't..." Blank stares from Hinata and Shikamaru. "...Fine." Chouji was still white as a sheet. His best friend had memories that were really, really, not supposed to be there, and Naruto was acting serious, and Hinata wasn't shy... Chouji plopped down and started snacking, convinced that the world was about to end.

"We're discussing this in full view and hearing of an ANBU squad. Shouldn't we be more careful?"

"Oh, come on. It's a low-level genjutsu. It's so weak they haven't even noticed. It'll blur our speech and hide our lips. They won't hear anything or be able to lip-read." Chouji was sweating now. Shikamaru, the Shikamaru he knew, definitely did not know any genjutsu, nor was he crafty enough to fool ANBU.

But that was kinda the point, wasn't it? This wasn't the Shikamaru he knew, not anymore.

"So, what are going to do with this future knowledge?"

"Do nothing!" Chouji had found a voice. "I'm serious. If you try to manipulate events according to what you know will happen, it'll backfire, horribly. No one should ever take that risk. Just... act like you normally would..."

"But that's acting the way you told us not to, Chouji. Hell, just by calling this meeting we've changed the way things happen. We should try and make sure that some of the bad stuff that happens, doesn't, and..."

"What happens to you shapes who you are! If you change events so that they're more favorable towards you, it will change other peoples' experiences, and they won't turn out they way you remember them!" Naruto remembered Sasuke. Kneeling, chained in ANBU max. security, the eyes he was so proud of sealed away.

"What if that's a good thing?" Hinata's fingers brushed against his. She knew who he was talking about. As if to drive home the point, Naruto looked over to where Sasuke was brooding, alone, his gaggle of fangirls watching him from the next corner. "What if... you don't like what some people have become?"

"Unfortunately, Naruto, I agree with Chouji, but in moderation." Naruto shot him a dirty look.

"So, it's okay to let Sasuke...!"

"That's not what I meant. You can't make people's choices for them. If Sasuke wants to run off to Orochimaru and be a complete and utter git, then that's his choice. You can try to stop him if you want, but it was his choice, and his path to take. If you really tried, you could stop him, like you tried to before... but it's still his choice.

"Yes, we have future knowledge. Yes, that gives us a huge advantage over our enemies in terms of protecting the people and places close to us. But if those same people make choices that put them in harm's way, we don't have any right to take that choice from them." Naruto faltered. He knew who Shikamaru was thinking of.

"Like Asuma."

"...Yes."

"Naruto-kun. I agree with Shikamaru. We have been given this knowledge for some reason. It is inevitable that we would take advantage of that knowledge to become stronger, but we cannot use that same knowledge to manipulate our loved ones without their knowing. If we do, we become as bad as those we try to protect them from..." Naruto was silent.

They were right. He hated it, but they were right. He couldn't make Sasuke's choice regarding Orochimaru for him... but he could make damn sure Sasuke had his priorities straight. He ran off for power, for revenge? Then Naruto was going to show him that they weren't worth having unless you had something to protect. Sasuke thought Naruto was powerless because he stayed in the village? He'd kick his ass, and show him how powerful you became with something to fight for beyond yourself.

"...You're right. We can't stop them from making choices, be they right or wrong." His eyes glinted with determination. "But that doesn't mean we can't help make them see when they're wrong. That doesn't mean we can't become strong enough to protect them from their own failures!" Naruto's determination was back in full force.

"We become strong to protect those we love. We become stronger from each failure we make to protect them. We can't shield them from every failure they make, but we can make the failure hurt less by being there for them." Hinata spoke confidently, without a trace of stutter.

"Failure and success are unavoidable in life. What choices we make, what strength we have, it's inevitable that one day we'll screw up, or meet someone we can't possibly defeat. It's human nature. We are not perfect. But we do the best we can, from day to day. We're not perfect, and all we can do is but try." Shikamaru's voice, speaking of futile effort that was worth it, seemed foreign in the mouth of the lazy genius. All present felt the underlying spirit that filled every word. And Chouji... Chouji no longer felt quite so afraid.

"We can but try."

* * *

><p>Naruto smirked. He had a few years to put together, run through, and fulfil an intensive training regimen that would get him powerful enough to take on Sasuke and prove to him what the worth of power was.<p>

He already knew what his chakra nature was, so basic chakra nature manipulation exercises would be easy. He'd have to wait until Jiraiya before he could get the Rasengan or his toad contract, the former if only to avoid suspicion. He'd also have to wait until Mizuki's eventual betrayal to get Kage Bunshin.

Which meant he'd have to play "dead last" again. It was infuriating.

So, what else could he do? Well, chakra control. He'd definitely benefit from that, and more, he knew the necessary exercises to perform for it. A thought then occurred to him.

Do I have to play "dead last"? I already know Kage Bunshin, the seals and the necessary chakra for it... Do I really have to play "dead last", just to get Mizuki to reveal himself?

Yes. Too many bonds were forged that night. Too many revelations and secrets thrown into the open. And he was NOT willing to let Mizuki simmer away in the background, like an exploding tag that could go off at any time. So, play the idiot. It'll hurt Iruka to find out, but it will hopefully hurt a lot less in the long run.

Taijutsu, as well, would have to be in there. It physically hurt to think of how uncoordinated he was now. If wasn't for his ability to pull impossible strategies out of his ass, he'd doubted he'd have survived to chuunin. He was uncomfortable relying on nothing but luck. So, taijutsu. But he'd need to find someone who would see some real improvement in his forms... no offense to Iruka-sensei, but taijutsu was not his strong point. Mizuki, their Academy taijutsu instructor was also not a good idea, the treacherous bastard. He needed someone either jounin-level or special jounin in taijutsu. Unfortunately, only one person came to mind, and it meant he would have to befriend someone in the year above, as well as wait for a year. Why, why didn't he know any taijutsu specialists other than Maito Gai?

He'd started looking into fuuinjutsu after Akatsuki's defeat, to try and understand more about his seal. He'd been enchanted. Fuuinjutsu was, at first sight, so unpredictable, so arcane. But once you understood how contradictory it could be, and just how chakra interacted within each part of a seal, it began to feel more like a cross between art and a puzzle. You were trying to create a masterpiece, but you only had so many colors, and if you mixed them to get what you needed, sometimes it would create a color you weren't expecting at all.

If nothing else, Naruto wanted a headstart on that.

He calmed down and thought things through, like Tsunade had told him to do when being Hokage became too stressful. Taijutsu was a glaring necessity, since it had an impact on how well his favorite technique, Kage Bunshin, performed. Chakra control was less so, since, thanks to the Kyuubi, he had chakra to spare, but it was still necessary for his combat techniques, along with training in nature manipulation and sage techniques. If possible, he could also work on developing his chakra coils to handle even more chakra. He wanted to have as much leeway as possible before having to call upon unfiltered Kyuubi chakra.

But he would still have to be careful about how much he progressed. He needed to remain 'dead last' so that Mizuki would reveal his true colors, so he could end up on Team Seven, so that he could stay beneath the radar of so many who feared what the young jinchuuriki might do should he actually become competent.

So: Taijutsu, which he would have to wait at least a year for. Chakra control. Fuuinjutsu. Chakra nature manipulation. Sage chakra, which he didn't dare attempt in this body without having Fukasaku on hand to smack it out of him if he screwed up.

He sighed. Chakra control would be easiest to work on in secret, he could practice on his apartment walls and in a bathtub. Nature manipulation, afterwards, would be just as easy, at first. Nobody would even notice him trying to cut a leaf with his chakra. They might notice him trying to cut a waterfall, though. Fuuinjutsu... Well, that was a largely mental challenge, but it meant he'd need to work on his calligraphy. The library, besides, would have several useful texts on both subjects. While it would be out of character for him, it might just send a message that he was serious about his shinobi training, he just wasn't shining.

Which was EXACTLY the message he wanted to send for now. But first, he'd need to befriend a fellow outcast...

* * *

><p>Hinata strode through the Hyuuga compound to her room, unheeding of the strange looks she attracted. True, seeing the normally shy and timid Hyuuga heir behaving quite so... authoritatively... was unusual enough that someone might think she had been replaced.<p>

In a way, she had. This Hinata had eleven years of her father's respect, seven in a romantic relationship with the man she loved, and three as head of the Hyuuga Clan. She was going to make sure she had a lot more of the second, but she wasn't looking forward to becoming Clan Head anytime soon, especially considering it was a life-long position. She didn't want the current Clan Head to be 'retiring' anytime soon. It would also be impossible for her to gain her father's respect sooner. She had to fall, so that she and another could truly rise.

So, now began the task of augmenting her training regimen in a way that wouldn't raise suspicions when she lost to Neji in her first chuunin exams. Yes, she still had to lose. The wounds that Neji had, and still nursed, wouldn't heal properly, nor would he realise his true potential as a shinobi, unless he lost to someone unconnected to the Hyuuga, and whom he deemed unworthy: someone he believed would never be able to defeat him because they were fated to be weak.

Someone like Naruto.

For any Hyuuga, precise chakra control was a must, since it allowed more precise use of the Byakugan and it's accompanying taijutsu style, the Jyuuken. It was even more important for Hinata, as her (so far) ultimate technique relied on chakra control so precise that she could strike a wasp in mid-flight. Following that, taijutsu, specifically, the Jyuuken style. It was the trademark of the Hyuuga clan, and was how many Hyuuga chose to measure their skill, never mind that some of them might have excelled in other pursuits.

Medical ninjutsu... would have to wait. Her Byakugan had ensured her actual medical ninjutsu were efficient at an unprecedented level, but the areas not based on practical chakra... the theory and various different poisons and diseases and corresponding symptoms... she had trouble taking it in all at once, even with a teacher as understanding as Sakura.

Exercises to exploit her chakra nature, water, would help her chakra control as well, and they could be performed innocently enough. A few extra minutes in the bath, a few extra hours on her own at the pond... Her father had not begrudged her that while she was still at the Academy, no matter how disappointed he seemed to be in her.

So: Chakra control. Jyuuken. Chakra nature manipulation. Medical techniques. She bit her lip. It would be difficult, very difficult, to excel as she wanted in the Jyuuken style without anyone noticing. Her father periodically checked in with her taijutsu tutor, sparing at least a thought for his less able daughter. Chakra control, on the other hand, was very difficult to quantify, so she may excel there without fear. She smiled. Good. She had a plan.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru was thinking. He was doing a lot more of that than usual, recently, thinking. Now, he was thinking about how to improve his abilities ahead of schedule. In the timeline he could remember, most of his training had been focussed on improving his already considerable situational analysis skills. As a result, he didn't need to now. So, what areas was he lacking in, and what areas would he definitely benefit from improving?<p>

Physically? Everything.

His taijutsu was sub-par. Since he had relied on his mind and his specialised ninjutsu to get out of most uncomfortably close encounters, he had also left most of the physical work to Chouji, or to anyone he was grouped with who happened to fill the role of "heavy combat specialist".

His chakra control, while good enough to make use of his clan's hijutsu, would also benefit from intensive training, since when dealing with Kage Mane no jutsu and it's branch techniques, chakra control was less important than having the necessary reservoir of chakra to keep it going, and so had been slightly neglected. He had nowhere near as much chakra as, say, Naruto, but his chakra potential was... had been, one of the highest of his age group. That said, chakra control exercises would allow him to make more efficient use of chakra for Kage Mane, which, in turn, would let him use it for longer.

Genjutsu. It was an area that Shikamaru had only touched upon before the incident that had resulted in the memory jump, but Kurenai had told him he had something of a knack for it. However, he'd need greater chakra control before he tried that again.

Stamina was the most important quality any Nara shinobi could make use of, since it dictated how much chakra you could make use of for the Kage Mane before collapsing or having to resort to soldier pills. And his stamina would be best increased by taijutsu training.

Shikamaru organised what he would be training himself in, in order of necessity.

Stamina (via taijutsu), chakra control, genjutsu. He almost smirked. Taijutsu, ninjutsu(and the necessary chakra control), genjutsu, in that same order, was the core of the Academy curriculum. Students were taught taijutsu first, along with chakra manipulation theory, then moved on to divergent taijutsu(where the students would choose the styles that would carry through for life), coupled with basic seals and chakra molding, then advanced(for genin) taijutsu, plus the three Academy techniques, and touched upon genjutsu theory.

How fortunate, then, that that was exactly what he needed to do. It wouldn't look quite so strange for him to be studying advanced forms of what they were covering at the Academy, now would it?

Assuming he got caught doing so.

* * *

><p>Chouji was worried. He wasn't afraid, not anymore.<p>

Well, maybe he was still afraid. Just a bit, though.

He was worried for Shikamaru. Heck, he was worried for Naruto and Hinata, too. He'd barely known them before today, but now it seemed they trusted him with their lives! And it did seem like it was their lives they were trusting him with, too. Intentionally interfering in an ANBU operation? He'd never even considered he could be that close to an ANBU-nin, but apparently they'd been following Naruto since he could walk.

That was another thing. People were trying to KILL Naruto! The ANBU had been assigned to protect him on the orders of the Hokage himself! This... this was WAY over Chouji's head!

But now, somehow, Shikamaru was involved in it.

Which meant that so was Chouji. While Chouji was young, and some would say naïve, he had a fierce sense of loyalty burning within his rotund frame, all Akimichi did. Friends who could see beyond the Akimichi's husky exterior to the kind-hearted soul within were few and far between, even for shinobi, and every Akimichi knew to treasure every last one of them.

Shikamaru was his friend. His best friend. His first real friend. Chouji would charge into Hell and back to keep him safe, if need be. But, after today, after what he had heard, Chouji was worried.

Shikamaru had matured, literally overnight, into someone who might not need protecting anymore. Or worse, become someone who was going to face dangers that Chouji was, right now, too weak to protect him from.

He was worried that Shikamaru was going somewhere he wouldn't be able to follow, somewhere where Chouji's immense strength for his age meant nothing.

No.

Shikamaru was still Shikamaru.

Regardless of whether or not he had future knowledge, he was still the same lazy genius who saw what Chouji was really worth, on that lonely summer's day. He was just a bit older, and wiser now, and in Chouji's opinion, that could only be a good thing. But damned if Chouji was going to let his friend leave him behind! Chouji quickly finished off the chips in his hand, and leapt up from the bench where he had been pointlessly brooding.

If his friend was going down a more dangerous path, then Chouji owed it to him to become more dangerous as well. He was going to get tougher, and stronger, and smarter, and big enough to cover Shikamaru's back no matter what! If Shikamaru was ever going to walk willingly into Hell, then he, Akimichi Chouji, was going to be there every step of the way, and woe to the fool of a demon who dared to try and get past him! He sped off towards the rooftop where Shikamaru typically watched the clouds.

Hey, things couldn't have changed that much, right?

* * *

><p>"Shikamaru!" The lazy genius looked up, to see Chouji standing at the top of the steps. He was breathing heavily, and sweating profusely, as though he had sprinted across Konoha to get here. "Shikamaru! I know that you've changed now, and that you're going to get stronger a lot faster now..." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. This was sounding suspiciously like a 'farewell, you're going somewhere I can't follow' speech. "And I know that because of that, you're going to be facing dangers way beyond me, dangers that I probably haven't even dreamed of before now.<p>

"BUT I DON'T CARE!

"You're my friend, Shikamaru! I don't know if the future me told you this or not, or if you already knew some other way, but I'll tell you right now: To an Akimichi, a friend is a friend for life! I'm not going to run away, or complain that I'm too weak to follow where you're going, or, or try and pull you back! Nothing like that! I'll follow you into Hell and back again, and I'll watch your back the whole way!" He seemed to collapse slightly then, as though he thought his promise was ridiculous.

"I know. I know I'm not strong enough right now. But... But you can help me change that! You know my strengths, my weaknesses, how I can improve, what I have to do to improve at the pace you're going to set! You're my friend, Shikamaru! And I'm not going to abandon that, no matter what! I'm just not built that way! If the stakes get tougher, so will I! If the road gets more dangerous, so will I! If your enemies get even stronger, then SO WILL I!"

Shikamaru eyed him for a long while. Future Chouji had, indeed, told he and Ino about the Akimichi's philosophy regarding friends, and how it came about. Back then, Shikamaru had been touched. He had interpreted it as a sign of Chouji's faith in both of them, as well as in his own ability to protect the both of them. But this...

Chouji, barely ten years old, was essentially telling him he would be watching out for him for the rest of his life, and he had just declared the Akimichi philosophy much louder and far more passionately than he had over that yakitori, so many years from now. He smiled. Chouji had matured, mentally speaking, and a lot faster than he had anticipated. He wondered if the other Chouji had been this mature as well.

"Well, when you put it like that... I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Chouji almost faltered, then saw his friend's teasing grin. His face lit up instead.

"No, you don't!"

"Right. Come over here, and I'll tell what you should be working on, and when you should work on it. And then, we need to go to Ichiraku's."

"Ichiraku's?" Shikamaru smirked knowingly.

"Yeah. We're pooling battleplans." Chouji didn't know what to make of that, but he continued to grin fiercely.

I told Naruto that I'd trust Chouji with this, and he just validated that trust.

Chouji, my friend, I will never doubt you again.

* * *

><p>"OI! TEUCHI-JII-SAN!" Teuchi looked up, and there, as he expected, was Naruto. His best customer, hands down, for four years running. Ayame looked up from the noodles simmering in broth, a smile on her face. She thought of Naruto as the endearing little kid from down the street. He was the kind of kid you can't help but like, because not liking him would be like kicking a puppy.<p>

"Ah, Naruto! The usual six bowls, then?"

"Ehh...! That would be great, Teuchi-jii-san, but..." he pulled out his toad wallet. "Gama-chan's been putting himself on a pretty harsh diet..." It was true. The thing barely had fifty ryou inside it. Teuchi smiled sympathetically.

"Hmm, I see... Tell you what, Naruto. You're a good customer, and a regular, so first bowl's on the house tonight, ne?" His face lit up immediately.

"REALLY? Thanks, Teuchi-jii-san!"

"Hah! Don't mention it! You eat here so often, I'm amazed you even have any money left! So, it's only fair that you get something at my expense, once in a while." Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Well, it's better than anything else in Konoha, you know?" After Teuchi turned away, Naruto spoke quietly, wistfully to himself. "Sometimes I wonder if this is what home-cooking tastes like..."

"Sorry, Naruto, did you say something?"

"Nope!"

"All right, then, what's it to be tonight?"

"Miso!" He took his wallet and counted. "Then pork and then beef, and then that's it for tonight!" Teuchi grinned.

"One Miso ramen, on the house, coming up!"

"Thank you again!" Naruto sat there, fiddling with his chopsticks, waiting for his (free!) ramen, and his friends. As he waited, he contemplated the routine he had set up for himself. It likely wouldn't be as extensive as the others' since he had an image to maintain until a certain point in time, but he would still benefit.

"Good evening, Naruto-kun." Hinata had crept up behind him, and was bowing politely, as she was expected to do in public. Naruto grinned, and got off his stool.

"Good evening, Hinata-san." He bowed formally in return. "Why don't you join me? Ichiraku's ramen is the best!" Of course it was. She knew it was and he knew she knew it was. He had taken her here on their first not-really-a-date-but-kinda-sorta-actually-a-date-because-I'm-paying-for-you. She had loved it. Especially the vegetable ramen...

"Of course. I would be honored." She seated herself demurely on the stool, and politely ordered vegetable ramen from the old man she knew had been so kind to Naruto for nearly his entire life.

"Coming right up, Hyuuga-sama." Oh. So he recognised her eyes.

"Hinata is fine." He responded with a smile. A Hyuuga who wasn't an arrogant, stuck-up prat was a welcome change of pace. Not that any of the other Hyuuga deigned to lower themselves to eat from a ramen stand.

"Then, one vegetable ramen coming right up, Hinata-san." Ayame looked up, and saw Hinata sitting next to Naruto. She also noticed the way the two of them were fidgety around the other. She winked conspiratorially at Hinata when next her attention was directed that way. Hinata knew what was being implied, and, despite herself, flushed a light pink.

"Oi, Naruto, Hinata!"

"YO, Naruto! Hinata!" Shikamaru and Chouji wandered into view.

"Oi, Shikamaru, Chouji!"

"Good evening to you both." Teuchi was overjoyed. Any Akimichi was a good customer, on the rare occasion they opted for something other than home cooking. They were polite, always paid, and they loved to eat.

"So, what'll you kids be having?"

"Miso ramen. No egg, please." Naruto couldn't believe his ears.

"Oi, oi, if you don't want the egg, then give it to me!" Shikamaru shrugged in response as Chouji placed his order.

"Miso and Pork, then Beef! Then we'll see from there!"

"Um... Chouji, we'll only have enough time for one bowl..." Both Naruto and Chouji turned to Shikamaru with a dangerous glint in their eyes, as if to say, 'Not the way WE eat ramen!' "...fine. Mendokuze na."

Shikamaru turned out to be wrong. By the time he and Hinata were halfway through their ramen, Naruto and Chouji were already starting on their third bowl each. Naruto gazed longingly at the bowl of hot broth and noodles in front of him. This was to be his last for the night, so it had to last. He breathed in the aroma emanating from the bowl. The mix of spices and food that defined Ichiraku's ramen tantalisingly wafting through his nostrils. His chin felt wet, and he realised he was drooling. Wiping his mouth off, he took his chopsticks to town, after a hurried, 'Itadakimasu!'

In that time, Chouji had finished his third bowl, and was asking for a fourth serving. He knew this was all he'd have time for, so he made sure to savor it as well. He didn't take quite as long as Naruto did to appreciate the smell that heralded the flavor, but he certainly took his time with this bowl.

They still finished around the same time as Shikamaru and Hinata, however.

"Ah...! Ichiraku's is the best!"

"There can be no evil amongst the lovers of Ichiraku's!"

"It's just ramen, no matter how good. But it was good."

"It was wonderful, Naruto-kun." Leaving their money for the ramen on the counter, they left for the night.

Now, while three of them had future knowledge, and the other was very strong for his age, they weren't arrogant. When I say night, I mean evening. The sun was just setting, and they were kind of in a hurry to get home before dark.

"Shikamaru, that genjutsu...?"

"Was done back at Ichiraku's. We can talk." Naruto nodded.

"Right. Well, who wants to go first?" Hinata cleared her throat.

"I think it should be you, Naruto-kun."

"Me?"

"Regardless of time period or age, you are, at least to Shikamaru and myself, the Sixth Hokage. We will defer to you in cases like this." Naruto looked between his two friends who had 'jumped' back with him. "Chouji?"

"I've never seen you in the robes, but after that stare you gave me earlier today, I don't doubt you'll achieve that ambition. I'll follow Shikamaru's lead in this kinda situation anyway."

"Chouji..." Chouji grinned.

"I'm going to see you in those robes. Don't let me down, Rokudaime-sama." Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. Shikamaru coughed.

"We don't have much time."

"Right. I can't really improve that much at the moment." Frowns from his friends. They knew he was better than that. "It's not because I think I'm perfect at this stage. I'm not that stupid. It's... I have to continue to play the part of 'dead last'. There's a lot at stake here, and I can't let my pride get in the way of that." He inhaled. "But there are some areas I'm going to be focusing on. Chakra control, for one. I'll be able to do that in secret, along with chakra nature manipulation." Chouji gawked.

"You're going to...?"

"Oi, if Sasuke can do it, why not me?" It wasn't a malicious comeback, and Chouji looked suitably sheepish at that. "I'm also going to try and get a headstart on my fuuinjutsu, so don't be surprised if my handwriting improves considerably."

"I didn't know you were practicing fuuinjutsu?"

"I did." Hinata said quietly.

"I was just getting into it. It's actually kinda interesting. It's like a puzzle that's missing pieces, and you have to invent the pieces yourself as you go along." Shikamaru was thoughtful.

"That does sound interesting..." Naruto grinned. Shikamaru loved puzzles, but he loved strategy games more.

"All right, Hinata, how about you?" Hinata nodded, cleared her throat as elegantly as she could, and told them of her plans.

"Unfortunately, like Naruto-kun, I need to slightly retard my progress in some areas, such as my Jyuuken. I need to become stronger, but not too much stronger, or it will raise questions when..." She paused. Should she tell them? They might understand... "...When Neji-nii-san defeats me in the chuunin exams." As expected, a loud noise of protest from Naruto.

"You can't let that happen, Hinata! I remember what he did to you, even if you don't! You were in hospital for a month after he... after..." Chouji had gone slightly pale, while Shikamaru was carefully looking everywhere except Naruto. He'd already guessed Hinata's reasons for this, but still...

"Naruto-kun." Hinata was using a tone she had only acquired after they had started seeing each other. It was a firm, even tone, that did not vary one octave when she spoke. When she next spoke, it was in her normal, softer voice. "I know you do not want that to happen again. I don't relish the idea either. But for Neji-nii-san's sake, I must.

"If I were to defeat him, he would simply attribute it to the Main Family being stronger after all, and he would simply lock himself into his ridiculous rut of self-destruction with all that destiny nonsense. The only one who can defeat him satisfactorily, that is, to the point that he can finally realise his true potential, must be someone with no connection to him, personally, or the Hyuuga clan.

"It must be someone whom he despises as weak, as someone who will never be strong enough to defeat him if they stay true to their destiny.

"It must be you, Naruto-kun." Naruto stared at her, long and hard. He wanted nothing more than to hug her, right there. To let her know with his body warmth, that she was strong, stronger than Neji would ever be, to be able to do something like this just so someone else could make himself whole again. To let her know that he was there, to reassure her that he would never, could never, see her as weak.

But he couldn't.

Shikamaru's genjutsu was blurring words and lip movement, but it wouldn't obscure physical contact. If he hugged her, now, as he so wanted, they would be found out. None of what they hoped to achieve would come to pass.

Finally, in a cracked voice,

"Hinata..." She smiled.

"I will be all right." With that, she went back to listing what she would be working on. "I will be unable to improve my Jyuuken to any great degree without arousing suspicion when... when certain events come to pass. I will, however, be able to work on my chakra control in secret quite easily, as well as chakra nature manipulation. That, unfortunately, will have to comprise the bulk of my secret training until the chuunin exams are over. But do not think for one second that I will be as helpless before my cousin as I was before. I will fight, and I will lose. But I will not fall so easily as last time." She seemed to take some perverse inner strength from that.

"I guess it's me next..." Shikamaru scratched his head. "Well, I don't really have any special event I have to keep myself weak for, but I do need to keep my performance in class in the same region, or I risk making top of the class. And that'd be bad, ne?" Naruto nodded. While he was not averse to the idea of having Shikamaru in his team, it wouldn't work. The Ino-Shika-Chou trio had, and always would have, a bond of teamwork that would likely surpass these genin team selections well into future generations. "Anyway, my secret training is going to follow the Academy curriculum, more or less: Taijutsu, chakra control, genjutsu. After all, no one's going to see anything wrong with an Academy student reading beyond class material, ne?" He smirked casually, and Naruto had to smirk along with him. Using Academy material as a cover was nothing short of brilliant. "Well, I pretty much covered what I'm going over. My taijutsu is bad. Not unworkable, but it's never been as good as it could have been. My techniques rely on chakra control and chakra reserves more than most, and, well, as for the last one, Kurenai said I had something of a gift with genjutsu."

"When did she tell you that?"

"When I was killing time waiting for Saruko to get ready for training. Kurenai got me to try a basic genjutsu for a laugh, and afterwards, she told me I was better than she expected of a first-timer. After that, we started discussing genjutsu theory when I came to collect Saruko, and she had me try a few more basic genjutsu. I actually learned the one we're using to fool the ANBU from her." Naruto made an 'oh', and dropped the subject.

"Well, shall we leave for now? We'll see each other at the Academy tomor-" Chouji coughed.

"I haven't mentioned what I'll be doing." Naruto's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he still acted like he expected it.

"Looks like your trust was well-placed, Shikamaru." Chouji blushed at the compliment, but quickly shook it off.

"From what Shikamaru explained to me, my weakness is, and always will be, chakra control, purely because of the nature of some of my techniques. So, I'll be focussing on that, really heavily. I want to be as efficient as I can be with my chakra. But since my strength is taijutsu, coupled with my physical strength, I plan on maximising that advantage to the fullest. I'll be pestering my dad to practise with me as much as possible, and I'm going to start wearing weighted armor. Taijutsu and chakra control. My strength and my weakness. I plan to make my strength unbeatable, and to eliminate my weakness." Chouji had a fire in his eyes that reminded him uncomfortably of the boy he was about to befriend purely for his own selfish purposes, and he had almost shot his gaze to Shikamaru when Chouji had mentioned weight training.

Naruto took in the people gathered around him. Hinata, ready to make a very real sacrifice for the sake of her cousin; Shikamaru, thanks to his transplanted memories, wasn't nearly as lazy as he used to be; Chouji, who, despite his lack of future knowledge, had matured visibly, in the way he walked, and the way he carried himself. He had an unshakable faith now, in his friend, and in himself. Naruto examined his own hands. Had he changed, too? Was it visible to others?

"Naruto-kun." He looked up at Hinata. "We're proud of you, Naruto-kun. We all are." He smiled. Then, in the last semblance of the Hokage he would be, he told them to separate. Shikamaru's genjutsu fell, and they all walked back to their respective homes.

As Shikamaru and Chouji walked the short distance they had to together, Shikamaru noticed Chouji was grinning strangely.

"What?"

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before, but... you had a girlfriend in the future, right?" Shikamaru racked his brains, desperate to recall when he might have mentioned Temari. If Chouji knew too much about the chuunin exams as well...

"...Yeah. I did."

"Thought so. So, what was Kurenai like?" Shikamaru froze in his tracks. When Chouji looked back at him, he saw a look of absolute horror plastered across his face. "Shikamaru?"

"...No... No, no, no...!" Chouji was confused. "No, Kurenai wasn't... dear kami, no! She was with Asuma-sensei, for kami's sake!"

"Who?" It couldn't hurt to tell him this, at least. He had to understand just why that was... NO.

"Kurenai is one of the jounin-sensei assigned to our class following graduation. Asuma is the jounin-sensei assigned to us." Shikamaru shuddered. "Just... No! She's old enough to be my mother! I was alone with her because I had taken on her daughter as my apprentice!" Chouji blanched.

"Oh... sorry. Heh." Shikamaru shuddered again. "So... who was your girlfriend?" Shikamaru immediately broke off towards his family's home.

"Good night, Chouji."

"At least tell me if I know her!"

"No."

"Was that a no, I don't, or..."

"Good night, Chouji."


	3. Chapter 3

A few months had passed, and they were meeting again. It happened often enough that the ANBU could report to the Hokage that Naruto had made friends. Naruto knew that the Sandaime would be pleased to hear that, and he had no real reason to contradict him. After all, they really were his friends.

"So, how's everyone doing with their training?" They'd learned to speak in semi-code now. The ANBU would have eventually wised up to the genjutsu sooner or later when they realised it happened every time they met. Chouji continued to eat whenever thay saw him, though. Unsurprising, really, considering how many Akimichi hijutsu were dependent on body weight. Shikamaru answered for him.

"Well, Chouji's told me that he's doing well with his taijutsu. I'd have to agree, based on last week's performance against Kiba." The much faster Inuzuka had narrowly avoided a broken leg from one of Chouji's strikes. The Akimichi family style, while slow, consisted of many physically powerful moves, and even a novice was capable of breaking bones with just a glancing blow. As a result, only a few students were allowed to pair off against him in taijutsu practice, and even then, they were observed carefully, the proctors stepping in if serious injury was about to be sustained. Chouji was no longer a novice in the Akimichi style, however, and even the proctors would be in danger of injury were he unable to pull contact blows. "We've been practicing chakra control together, and he's good enough to walk now, instead of just running. We're starting the watery side of things tomorrow." Chouji was not embarrassed by his friend's run-down of his abilities, nor did he display as such. Rather, he was intensely proud of the fact that he had mastered a genin-level chakra control exercise before he had even graduated.

Granted, it wasn't chuunin-level practice or jounin-level theory like the rest of them, but he didn't have the benefit of future knowledge, and every path begins with a first step. He would catch up, though. Of that, Chouji was certain.

"I'm doing well with my taijutsu, thanks to practice with Chouji. I'm faster and a little stronger than I used to be," He was referring to the 'other' him, the him he would be if not for... the event. "And my extra studies are going well, too. While the theory is pretty simple, it's putting it into practice that's the tricky part." It always was.

Shikamaru hadn't noticeably changed. He still refused to volunteer information in class, and to any casual observer, he'd just be your regular lazy student. He did, however, put in some effort in class. The tests he had been to lazy to pick up the pencil for, before, he still slept through, but only after he had written the answers (with a few wrong in just the right places, to make sure he didn't call attention to himself) His chakra control and stamina had improved dramatically, as well. He was honestly amazed by how much improvement a little hard work had caused. Asuma was going to get quite a shock when he received their genin team in a few months.

"My chakra control is also progressing smoothly." Hinata carried herself far differently from just a year ago, no longer cowed and timid in the presence of others. She spoke quietly still, but that just made the difference between her firmer speech, when she used it, all the more noticeable. "My taijutsu is advancing a little faster than I had intended, but it's possible that's to be expected, considering what I now know." Indeed, she seemed to be reading her instructor's movements far better than she had been before, which affected both how quickly she picked up new forms, and how well she was able to perform against her instructor. She needed to be very careful with this, as she couldn't afford to advance too quickly. "I have also gained a renewed appreciation for nature." All present smiled at the allusion to her chakra nature manipulation. They had no doubts of that. Her chakra nature was one of two possibilities from her Bloodline, and frankly, Hinata did not seem the lightning-nature type.

That atmosphere of happy appreciation was dampened considerably by the foreknowledge of what was going to happen to her in the chuunin exams. The selections had supposedly been random, but no one, not even the visiting foreign genin from Suna and Oto, had doubted that Hinata's match-up against her cousin was anything but random.

She needed to improve, yes, so that she would not be at a complete loss when she began her training anew following the exams, and she was doing so. But, for her cousin's sake, she had to hold back, restrict her development so no one would suspect her of throwing the fight.

And she was doing so.

Naruto, perhaps, had the most to hide, and he was, with the exception of a few blips, doing superbly.

"Well, my taijutsu's improved. Not enough to climb up the class rankings, but it's definitely better. Mizuki-sensei was really surprised when I told him about Lee's new sensei helping me out. My chakra control's a lot better too. My... extra studies are really interesting, and I don't think I'll ever have to buy exploding tags again." He wouldn't have to buy them because he would be able to make them. Eventually. "And all leaves tremble in the trees at my approach!" A gust of wind blew though the forest they were facing then, producing a rustling sound from the leaves in question. Naruto laughed loudly, keeping his facade as the loud dead last firmly in place. No one in class, not even the reserved and incredibly observant Aburame Shino, suspected Naruto of being anything more than he was the last time around. Not even when he had befriended Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast (before he was green).

At first, Naruto had been planning to approach Lee before he left the Academy last year, but then decided that, no matter how much he would benefit, finding and befriending Lee for that reason alone would have been manipulative to an extent he just wasn't comfortable with.

So, imagine his surprise when he ended up befriending the bushy-browed boy anyway, after coming to his aid against some other students from Lee's class. Naruto hadn't even recognised Lee without the green one-piece and bowl cut, so obviously inspired by Gai's influence, and had just acted on his dislike of bullies.

When Lee thanked him profusely for his aid, then, upon recognising him as a fellow outcast among the Academy students (Lee for his under-developed coils, Naruto for no reason that Lee was aware of) declared that they should, from that point onwards, be friends, it had been very difficult to say 'no' to him. So he hadn't. "Those who have no one have only each other!" as Lee had put it.

A few weeks after Lee had graduated, he had approached Naruto in new, and altogether more familiar clothing, and insisted rather forcefully that Naruto meet his "amazing and brilliant sensei", who had shown Lee how to "passionately harness the power of the springtime of youth!" Naruto had not been surprised to be introduced to Maito Gai.

Gai had been a little confused when he was introduced to an Academy student, but once Lee explained how he had met Naruto, and that they had been friends in his final year, the loud jounin had been ecstatic to meet someone who shared his beloved student's "passion, drive, and untapped potential of youth!". Lee had then, without any prodding or requests from Naruto, asked Gai if Naruto could train with them in the afternoons.

So began Naruto's taijutsu tutoring alongside the Green Beasts of Konoha. Naruto knew from future knowldege that Mizuki had actively sabotaged his taijutsu training, but it still felt a little humiliating when Gai had to correct every single one of his basic forms. Naruto had not become a disciple of Gouken like Lee, content with the branch form he'd chosen from the Academy: Dragon style. The first time around, he'd chosen it solely because it had sounded cool. He had been an idiot, back then, but Dragon-style taijutsu would suit him well (when he used it correctly), and this time he chose it because he knew most of the forms already. The difference in styles between his wonderful students hadn't put off Gai in the slightest. The Zodiac styles taught at the Academy were all descended from Gouken, after all. So, Naruto had been put through his paces every afternoon, with Gai even going so far as to insist that Naruto aped Lee's training methods. Completely. Beginning with his clothes.

It seemed Gai wanted another Green Beast to join the Proud and the Beautiful (Gai and Lee, respectively). To him, orange was respectable enough, (at least for hiding leg weights) but green was the true color of champions!

Naruto had declined the garish one-piece, stating that his current clothes were a form of training. If he could hide in his bright orange jumpsuit, he could hide in anything. His reason (which Naruto had come up with on the spot) was enough to get Gai and Lee roaring about how dedicated Naruto was to the creed of a ninja.

Naruto had just smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>Iruka frowned as he continued marking the pop quiz he'd given his class.<p>

Their graduation was coming up in a couple months now, and he was trying to scare them into extra study with random tests and individual techinque demonstrations. In most cases, it was working, with even his mediocre students' average score going up. His highest scorers were also improving because of it, even if the improvement wasn't as noticeable.

But with some, it just wasn't getting through.

Like this paper. Uzumaki Naruto was the name at the top, written in flawless kanji. The answers on the paper were similarly written in neat, flawless script. Iruka had been pleasantly surprised when Naruto's handwriting started to improve, and it was now to the point that you wouldn't even know it was the same person, were you to hold up two samples from a year apart.

Iruka had made sure to congratulate Naruto on this, encouraging scholastic behaviour whenever he displayed it. But why couldn't the rest of his scholarly efforts improve as much?

The paper he had in front of him had multiple wrong answers, a lot of them, actually, which didn't fit with the Naruto who was now visiting the LIBRARY of all places. When he heard Izumo tell him about that, Iruka had choked on the onigiri he was eating at the time.

Naruto? The loudest person in the village(with the exception of Maito Gai and his new protege, although apparently Naruto had joined the duo in their training) was in a library? He was voluntarily studying? Iruka had, for a few days, chosen to interpret it as a good thing. It reinforced what he knew of Naruto's stubbornness to succeed, and everyone in the village knew of his ambition to become Hokage.

Iruka was about ready to mark this paper an 'F', again, when he noticed what Naruto had written for the fifth question. The question itself was testing their understanding of basic fuuinjutsu: how to tell a real exploding tag from a fake one, how to tell how big a bang it would make when it went off, and several more advanced sections that were far beyond the level of understanding of fuuinjutsu that Konoha demanded of its genin.

Naruto had put down an answer, to all parts of the question, but he had also written some calculations, a small table of symbols and what seemed to be corresponding numbers, and he had even pointed out some flaws he had seen in the original question, with a cheeky comment in the margin about how Iruka should do his research better.

Iruka hadn't even expected Sakura, his most academic student to be able to answer this question! That was why he put it in the test to begin with!

If this wasn't a sign that the world was about to end, Iruka would eat his hitai-ite.

* * *

><p>Sarutobi Hiruzen was enjoying a brief moment of peace in his office, puffing contentedly on his pipe, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the flavor of the tobacco. It was a good time to be an old man and a Hokage, really. The nations were largely stable, the balance of power was unlikely to change drastically anytime soon...<p>

Peace was good. It meant the shinobi and civilians under his care were less likely to encounter anything life-threatening in their daily lives. He sighed again, but not in contentment.

Of course, that meant they were freer to engage in idiotic pursuits, like ostracising Naruto. He was a good boy, if a little... spirited, but recently he had been much more subdued. He had finally found friends, though. For that, Sarutobi was grateful. That boy had spent long enough on his own, and it was about time he found someone his own age he could talk with.

A knock on his door distracted him.

"Yes?"

"Hokage-sama, Umino Iruka is here to see you." Iruka? Sandaime looked at the clock on his office wall. It was only just coming up on four pm. What was so important Iruka had felt it necessary to rush straight here after the Academy?

"Send him in." Iruka walked in, a piece of paper in his hand. "So, what brings you here straight from the Academy, Iruka-san?" Iruka laid the paper, which Saurtobi now saw was a test paper, on his desk.

"Look at question five." He picked up the sheet and did so. As his eyes scanned the text, both printed and written, his eyes widened. Answers like these required an understanding of the most advanced concepts of fuuinjutsu! Who could have...? His eyes shot to the name at the top of the paper.

"Naruto wrote this...?" Iruka nodded.

"I was marking over lunch, and I had to spend the next period poring over fuuinjutsu technique scrolls just to understand some of what he was talking about, just so I could mark that one question. This is far beyond genin-level, and... with all respect to him, Hokage-sama, Naruto just shouldn't be able to understand this. I put that question in there expecting none of my students to answer it, and then..." he trailed off.

"Then Naruto gave you this answer." He paused, his brow furrowed in thought. "I notice his handwriting is much improved as well." He had read Naruto's details required for the Academy records. It was a miracle it was even legible. Iruka nodded.

"Do you... do you think he's studying fuuinjutsu independently? I know he's been at the library a lot recently..." Sarutobi grunted in response. His ANBU had told him as much, but he was pleased that someone else took as much of an interest in the boy's well-being.

"Is he still performing poorly in the Academy?"

"He's still dead last in the class. He works hard, but until this, I was just putting his failures down to an inability to focus, but that doesn't make sense, since he associates with Shikamaru and Chouji, who are, respectively, two of my best students in chakra theory and taijutsu. On a good day, Chouji's even been known to be a match for Sasuke. You would think some of that would rub off on him..."

"Or perhaps he's deliberately holding himself back in class."

"Wh-? Hokage-sama, why would he do something like that?" Sarutobi drummed his pipe to his chin.

"I don't know. Why he would hold himself back to 'dead last' in his class, and risk losing his chance to even become a genin... hm..." There was a possibility, "Based on their marks, who is the best on your class?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka made the connection. "You think Naruto's holding back to be on his team? ...But that doesn't make any sense either. He hates Sasuke." Sarutobi hmm'd.

"Perhaps that is the reason why he wants to be on his team. Having already identified Sasuke as a worthy rival, he wants as many chances as possible to test himself against the famed Uchiha prodigy." Personally, Iruka doubted that Naruto could be so shallow or petty as to target Sasuke purely because he was the famous Uchiha... "Thank you for letting me know about this, Iruka-san. I trust you've discussed this with Naruto?"

"No, Hokage-sama, not yet. I was planning on asking him over ramen tomorrow."

"I see. Well, let me know what his answer is, won't you?" Iruka bowed and left. Once he was gone, Sarutobi started to think again, this time about Naruto.

* * *

><p>A knock on the door told Hyuuga Hiashi that his daughter's taijutsu instructor had arrived for the monthly report. At a curt word from the Clan Head, she entered and sat formally before Hiashi. The woman was responsible for training the daughter of the Clan Head, so she was one of the best from the branch family. She taught the elder daughter, of course. Hiashi saw to Hanabi's training personally. Despite her current position as the unfavored daughter, Hinata was still a Hyuuga, and she was still a member of the main family. Consequently, while her Jyuuken tutor was only a branch family member, it was still the best tutor available from that group.<p>

"You may begin." Hiashi knew that the instructor understood what was expected of her during these meetings. They were a monthly occurrence.

"Hinata-sama is performing as well as can be expected of her, Hiashi-sama. Her technique and endurance improve steadily with every session, and the power behind those blows improves as well. However, I feel... that... she could be performing better." Hiashi looked up.

"Are you telling me my daughter is not applying herself properly?"

"No, Hiashi-sama, that's not it. If anything, I think she's actually hiding her true ability."

"Explain."

"Sometimes, when we spar, Hinata-sama hesitates for a moment before my strike lands. I think she's reading my movements and then allowing my blow through her defenses." Hiashi's countenence did not change, but the instructor thought she could see a ghost of a frown flickering around the Clan Head's mouth. "When using the Byakugan, I have also noticed that her chakra control seems to have improved far more than she admits to. The chakra bursts in her strikes are more precise, and her chakra reserves drain at a slower rate. Her tenketsu also appear to be more elastic than I would have suspected, which once again implies greatly improved chakra control."

Hiashi sat, deep in thought, as he pondered the instructor's assessment of Hinata's abilities. While he may have forsaken his eldest daughter to some extent, she was still his daughter, and he still wished to know of her progress, to know if perhaps she had some chance, however bleak, of gaining strength enough to assume her expected place as Head of the Clan. Hiashi had not been comfortable with the arrangement at first, but he had quelled such misgivings by retreating behind the Hyuuga mask of indifferent detachment and brutal logic. The Clan Head must embody the Hyuuga tradition, as demanded by the clan elders. The Hyuuga clan prided itself on being coldly unemotional, ruthlessly observant and masters of their Jyuuken style; they were strong in their solitary nature, they were unassailable pillars of ability and self-discipline amongst the other, less capable village shinobi.

At least, that was how every Hyuuga should be, as demanded by the clan elders.

By comparision, Hinata was a timid and open girl, being overly emotional at times and embarrassingly inept with the clan taijutsu, the Jyuuken, to the point where she was not even a match for her younger sister. Whether or not this was due to a lack of skill with taijutsu or she was simply unable to bring herself to attack Hanabi in earnest mattered little. Both were examples of weakness in the elders' eyes, and as such she was unfit to rule the clan.

Such an issue did not need to be resolved until the matter of his death, but given the unpredictable nature of the lives of shinobi, he was under increasing pressure from the elders to name a successor. He knew that no shinobi, no matter how skilled, really expected to live beyond the age of sixty. Hiashi was barely half that. He doubted Minato would have had to put up with the Village Council pressuring him to name a successor by this age, had he lived, and they had been about the same age.

Hiashi had, in an attempt to quiet the elders, sent away his 'weaker' daughter to be trained solely by the Academy and a small number of branch family retainers, such as the kunoichi kneeling before him now. It was an implicit statement of rejection, but since he had declared no explicit intentions to annihilate the elders' precious traditions, they had let it slide. Besides, if it meant they had a strong Clan Head, who cared about the circumstances?

When she had been collected by a young red-eyed chuunin, he had deliberately shown next to no regard for her well-being, or even for her existence. This was because Hiashi was a firm believer in leading by example, and he had hoped that such a display in front of both his daughters would be an effective demonstration of how the Hyuuga Clan Head needed to act, how they had to place the good of the entire clan before their own personal needs, even the needs of those close to them. Unfortunately, it had only seemed to make Hinata even more insular, and the lack of outside contact had continued to make her emotional state embarrassingly easy to read. Once she did not think her father cared, either, she seemed to have lost the drive to succeed in her lessons, to prove her ability to him in their training sessions. But now...

If Hinata was hiding her true ability, from both her instructors and her own father, that was unacceptable. She needed to be as strong as possible, and openly so, were she to have any chance of assuming her proper place within the clan. And really, Hiashi would prefer to avoid the headache that would ensue should his chosen heir prove lacking under the elders' renewed scrutiny.

After these few moments of terse thought,

"You are certain of this?"

"I have only suspicions, Hiashi-sama. I believed you should be made aware of them, considering the complicated circumstances." Hiashi did not, then, activate her Bird Seal to 'teach her respect' for two reasons: The first was that, despite how insolently any other 'elder' would have chosen to interpret her statement, Hiashi was aware that the entire clan knew of the situation surrounding his successor, and that she had told him of her suspicions regarding Hinata only suggested that she had an excellent grasp of the situation. Hiashi did not want to discourage the very traits that the Hyuuga prided themselves on, specifically, keen observation and the intelligence to correctly analyse those observations. The second was out of respect for his brother. Hiashi had used that damned seal only thrice in his entire life, and only once following his brother's death.

"Very well. You are to continue in her instruction as you have done. If your suspicions do not abate after she has graduated, or if she does not reveal that she has been holding back, you are to test her in sparring."

"Hiashi-sama?"

"If she is as accomplished as you suspect her to be, then come at her in progressive levels of ability. Then report any disparity between displayed ability and what she should be capable of to me." It was an underhanded move, but they were shinobi, and Hinata's future depended on being as good as possible, as obviously as possible. The instructor bowed.

"Hai, Hiashi-sama."

"You may leave."

* * *

><p>The original Ino-Shika-Chou trio were in a bar, drinking together, as such good drinking buddies would, nay, should be doing on a friday night. All three of them, unfortunately, had other things on their mind that prevented them from enjoying the booze to it's fullest extent. It was Shikaku, arguably the lazy one, who spoke first.<p>

"Hey, Chouza, have you noticed any odd behaviour in Chouji?"

"Heh. You mean besides advancing in his taijutsu a lot faster than I could have ever expected?" Shikaku stared, "Or perhaps you're referring to the change in his personality? He used to be a very gentle, naïve, boy and that's still there, but he also seems a lot more intense, far more driven, like he has an unattainable goal." Chouza looked sad for a moment. "I'm glad that he's this devoted to improving his skills, but I'm worried for him. Despite the fact that he's going to be a genin soon, Chouji's still young. He should be acting like it, not like... not like this. I'm worried for my son, Shikaku." Taking a sip from his sake, Chouza sighed. Inoichi took up the slack,

"Why do you ask, anyway? Is something wrong concerning Shikamaru?"

"Maybe." He hesitated long enough to take a drink, "Yoshino was going through his things the other day, and... I know, she's so troublesome sometimes," He added at seeing his teammates' shocked expressions, "But, she found a technique scroll on genjutsu under his bed. I don't mean under the bedframe, either, I mean it was physically stuck beneath the mattress, like a porno mag. He doesn't have any of those, by the way." Inoichi and Chouza both grinned at this.

"Anyway, she took a look at this scroll, then she took it to me, since her specialty is herbs and wildlife and such. Of course, my speciality is ninjutsu, and until now I didn't know Shikamaru was even interested in genjutsu." He paused, taking another sip to help him think. "He'd annotated the scroll, as well. Some parts were crossed out and he'd left his own corrections there."

"What's so strange about that? It just means the author didn't really do their research."

"Okay, while it's not my strong point, my understanding of genjutsu is about equal to that of a chuunin specialist's. The contents of this scroll, and the corrections made by Shikamaru, by my twelve-year-old son who isn't even a genin yet, confounded the hell out of me." Inoichi took a hard swig from his dish.

"So, I take it to the author, thinking, maybe they'll be able to explain what my son's talking about. I don't tell them that my son's the one who made those corrections, of course..."

"Who was the author?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Who?" they both asked.

"The genjutsu specialist. She made jounin a few months back."

"With the red eyes?" Shikaku nodded. "So, what did she tell you?"

"She wrote that scroll just before she made special jounin. She admitted there were a few mistakes in it, that she wished she could go back and correct, but she was pleased that whoever had read it had picked up on those. She also told me that it was written as an intellectual exercise to help her get to grips with jounin-level genjutsu theory." Chouza accidentally broke his sake dish.

"My son is studying and comprehending genjutsu at jounin-level, and he's also keeping this from the rest of the village, and me, quite successfully. Which means he could be progressing at a rate comparable to Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi. I don't know whether to be scared, proud or both." The three sat in shocked silence for a while, which was broken when Inoichi snorted.

"Oh, that must be terrible, Shikaku. Your son could be a prodigy. I'll trade your paternal worries for mine, ne?" He seemed a little drunk. "Do you know what's the most intellectual topic Ino's talked about at home since she went to the Academy? Basic chakra control. She asked us to show her tips to improve her chakra control and the speed of her seals, and that was just so she could show up some other girl in class in front of Sasuke-kun." There was disgruntled emphasis on the Uchiha's honorific. "She's TWELVE. She should not be worrying about... about that right now, about boys. She should be focusing on graduating, like Chouji, and like Shikamaru, and like her precious Sasuke-kun. Don't get me wrong," he added, "I love my daughter. Nothing will ever change that. But, for once, just once, I wish she would show an interest in the ninja arts beyond an underlying desire to impress a BOY. A boy who, from Umino-san's assessment, displays little more than contempt for her, and that's on a good day."

"She's a pre-teen girl, Inoichi. From what I understand, most of her female classmates seem enamored with the Uchiha kid." Chouza nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, except for that Hyuuga girl that Chouji told me about." The other two didn't know about this. "Yeah, apparently a girl called Hinata who sometimes associates with them, but from what Chouji tells me, she's a bit shy."

"A shy Hyuuga? Kami, will wonders never cease?"

"Oh, I don't know. Chouji also tells me he and Shikamaru have made friends with the Uzumaki kid."

Inoichi did a spit-take, "The demon brat?"

"There's no evidence he's a demon, Inoichi." It was Shikaku who first spoke in the boy's defense.

"There's no evidence he isn't!"

"Has he ever accessed the... special chakra? Has he ever exhibited any unpatriotic behaviour?" Chouza asked.

"He's got it's spirit inside of him. You two don't work with purely spiritual energy, you don't know what kind of an effect something like... like that would have on a kid's mind."

"If IT was capable of influencing him like you think it is, do you really think he wouldn't be bat-guano insane and killing everyone he meets by now?" Shikaku, of course, was arguing from a logical standpoint.

"According to Chouji, the boy's passionate and quite friendly. He's also very determined. I doubt we're in any threat from the you-know-what so long as he stays that way." Inoichi could hardly believe his ears. His friends didn't think the Kyuubi brat was a threat? Were they not there, twelve years ago? "Inoichi. We know that you're a specialist in messing with minds and how minds can be messed with. We weren't surprised when you took up genjutsu."

"Actually, my clan's hijutsu are a form of combination technique. It's not really that different from what I usually do."

"Right. Regardless, it was the Yondaime who made that kid's seal. We once fought under him, remember? He'd never do anything to endanger the village, and if that kid was a danger, he'd have told the Sandaime to kill the boy instead of protect him.

"I don't know about you, Inoichi, but I'm just willing enough to place my trust in the word of two Hokages."


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata awoke, stretching out and revelling in the warmth of her bed. Instinctively, her hand reached across the bedding...

To find no one else. Her mood was shattered as waking up brought with it the biting grasp of reality. Naruto wasn't here, nor would he, for quite some time.

She hated this. She had been happy with Naruto. He had finally realised how she felt, and he had returned those feelings eagerly. It wasn't quite easy, though. The only real breakthrough had come on an extended investigation mission with him. One night, she found him speaking aloud to the full moon, as though it was the only figure that wouldn't judge him any differently. She had spoken with him, on that rooftop, and when he asked her if she knew what day it was, she had answered, without hesitation, that it was his birthday. He had smiled at that. Apparently she was the first person to remember his birthday before remembering the Yondaime's death.

When they returned to the village, Naruto had treated her to Ichiraku's in celebration of a successful mission. He had all but insisted when she revealed she had never had Ichiraku's before.

Four weeks later, he revealed the nature of his stomach seal to her. She wasn't afraid. She knew him, and he was not the Kyuubi. She told him as much, and then, finally, confessed her love.

That was her first kiss, and she had loved it, just as she loved him.

She smiled. Things had gone much better for them from there. He had even been such a gentleman about the... physical side of their relationship. Never pressured her, never even touched on the subject, except once, when he had asked her if she resented him for not making a move in that area. She had rather emphatically denied that. After they were married, she found out why he had been so accepting of their celibacy. He had wanted to make sure that her first time was...

'Fantastic' didn't do it justice, she thought, flushing. Their wedding night had been... had been... she shivered as those wonderful, wonderful memories came flooding back.

She shook her head as she tried to force them back out of her mind. She had that to look forward to, and knowing Naruto, he was going to make sure it was even better. She sighed, thinking of all th-

She then realised what she was thinking about. This was NOT an acceptable train of thought for a lady, especially not one as young as she. Her Naruto-kun had been sent back with her to these bodies, and they had quite a bit of growth to go through before they should even think about that. Growth, she thought... Naruto had quite a LOT of 'growth' coming to him... she caught herself before she blushed again.

But they still had so long to go (right, stop that, subconscious, you're doing this on purpose) before they could even appear to be a couple. Until then, she would have to endure the absence of her Naruto's warm, comforting presence next to her as she slept.

She hated this, she thought, as she pulled herself out of bed for another day.

* * *

><p>Iruka was dreading this, despite the happy facade he put on for his class. After he dismissed them, he was going to treat Naruto to Ichiraku's, which would be a front to get as many answers out of the boy as he could. After reviewing the basics of Bunshin no jutsu, a horrendously useless technique save for the chakra control that practicing it would bring, Iruka dismissed the class and told them to practice at home.<p>

"Naruto, would you mind staying behind, please? I'd like to talk to you about your test." There was some snickering from other students, and Iruka felt a small amount of guilt at Naruto's forced smile, but clarifying the matter by announcing the real problem in front of the class would simply encourage rumors that Naruto was cheating.

Once everyone else was gone, Iruka brought out the test. Naruto cursed internally. That damn test. It was probably question five he wanted to talk about. Naruto had been feeling no small amount of pride at how quickly he had relearned fuuinjutsu in this time, and he just couldn't resist answering to the best of his ability.

"Question five, in particular, was of some interest."

He knew it. A genuinely embarrassed grin appeared, "Well, I guess I don't really know as much as I thought I did, then..."

"On the contrary, your answer was of a level that I had to do extra research on the subject just to mark it." He replaced the sheet in his desk, and smiled warmly. "I think this deserves something, wouldn't you? How about some Ichiraku's for good work?"

Naruto's surprise was wonderful, "Eh? Ah, first, I need to let Lee and his sensei know."

"Lee?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. He's my friend, and he graduated last year. He introduced me to his sensei, and now they help me with my taijutsu after school. Hey, could they come along if they wanted?"

Iruka nodded, smiling. So, Naruto had another friend, did he? Iruka was honestly happy for him.

Gai and Lee had declined the offer, claiming that this was an achievement they had no part of. It was Naruto's independent hard work that had gained him this celebration, and they did not want to intrude on his relationship with Iruka. Naruto apologised for missing this practice, and Gai laughed in his typical jovial fashion. He said Naruto could make it up by working even harder tomorrow.

Teuchi was delighted to hear that his best customer had shown up the rest of his class, even if they would never know. Their ramen was served with an even toothier smile than usual. It was when Naruto was halfway through his second bowl that Iruka started on the questions.

"So, Gai's teaching you taijutsu? How did that happen?"

"I made friends with Lee in his last year, and..." Naruto proceeded to tell him about the bullies, then about Lee's rather sudden insistence that his Academy friend train with him and his sensei. "My taijutsu's really got better, too! Gai's a much better taijutsu teacher than Mizuki-sensei!"

Iruka smiled. Mizuki would likely be ecstatic about his skill being compared to someone as accomplished as Maito Gai, even if it was in Naruto's context. His next question proved slightly less natural, but it was why he'd brought Naruto here.

"Naruto, how did you know that much about fuuinjutsu? As far as I can tell, it's a very obscure and altogether complicated branch of ninjutsu."

Naruto shrugged, "Well, I found a few scrolls on it, and it looked fun, so I kept trying it. It's all about solving problems, and it just feels like a big puzzle, except you sometimes have to make the pieces yourself."

Iruka nodded at his explanation. Naruto excelled at thinking outside of the box, as he constantly demonstrated in physical tests, and fuuinjutsu required a lot of that. Naruto was always able to find the loophole that no one else thought of, even before his sudden scholarly change.

"Well, you seem quite good at it. Following what you've said about Gai, it makes me wonder how good you are in other fields..." There was no easy way to ask this, so Iruka decided to hell with it. Naruto would prefer a direct question anyway.

"Naruto, are you holding yourself back in class?" The atmosphere instantly turned quiet. Naruto had even stopped slurping his noodles, the long, starchy strands hanging out of his mouth. He bit them off and swallowed as he nodded silently. "But why? If you're that capable with fuuinjutsu, you should be so much better with everything else than you have been." This didn't make any sense. Naruto was constantly looking for acknowledgement, so why would he just turn around and throw away his best chance for that - doing well in his studies? "Naruto, you know about the tradition of pairing the best and last in the class when they form the genin teams, right?" Another nod. Naruto could feel a small lump in his throat, and didn't trust himself to speak. He could tell that Iruka was having trouble trying to understand this. "Are you holding back so you can be in Sasuke's team?"

Or maybe not. Naruto did not want to hide any more than necessary from Iruka-sensei, the first person to really acknowledge him, so he did what he did best: He told the truth.

"Yes." Iruka looked disappointed, but Naruto couldn't think why. "What's... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I honestly thought you were a better person than that, Naruto." What? "Apparently you've become just as taken with the Uchiha mania that's gripped the rest of the village. Do you really think that beating Sasuke, or even just being on his team, will make people recognise you?"

"No!" Naruto looked so angry, that Iruka wondered if maybe he'd just insulted him. "...Iruka-sensei, how many friends does Sasuke have?"

"He has lots, doesn't he?" Iruka paused, "Yeah, he's always got a small crowd following him in-"

"That's not it!" Naruto snapped. He had never snapped at Iruka before, and the surprise was visible on his face. "That's not what I asked, Iruka-sensei. I didn't ask how many admirers, or followers, or well-wishers or fangirls or sympathisers or even people just blatantly trying to exploit him! I asked how many friends he has! How many people who are willing to spend time with him because he's Uchiha Sasuke, with his own hopes, dreams, hobbies and goals, and not because he's Uchiha Sasuke, famous last prodigy of the Uchiha clan and their damned Sharingan?

"How many?" Naruto looked really worked up about this, and Iruka was ashamed to admit he'd misjudged him.

"Naruto..." Iruka knew what the answer was. He suspected that Naruto did too.

"...We've crossed paths a few times outside of the academy. Every time, he was on his own. No followers, no fangirls, no one. I started to realise that the village has built up this idealised image of him. That image, that status as something to be idolised and...and treasured, means that he's been put up on a pedestal. He doesn't have any friends, any people who are willing to acknowledge him for who he is, instead of what he is, what he represents." Iruka's blood almost ran cold. It was starting to sound like Naruto was drawing parallels between himself and Sasuke. Did Naruto know about the Kyuubi? "I think he's the best in the Academy, so cold in the Academy, because he wants people to judge him based on his own skill and ability. But the more he succeeds, the more he's playing to their image of him as Konoha's wonderful genius. He wants to be acknowledged for who he is.

"He... He's just like me."

As he looked upon the boy who now slumped exhausted on his stool, Iruka felt guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed all at once for ever doubting that Naruto would do what he thought was right. He was holding back in class to get on Sasuke's team, yes, but not for recognition or fame by association. He was doing so because he thought he saw in Sasuke a kindred spirit. Someone who, like him, was ostracised from the rest of the village for circumstances beyond their control, and had people recognise them for those circumstances rather than their own ability: Naruto for the Kyuubi, and the Yondaime's death; Sasuke for his blood-soaked lineage.

Iruka then realised that that was the reason for his animosity in class. He was letting Sasuke know that he wouldn't acknowledge him for his family name, or his reputation or anything else other than his own qualities. Iruka suddenly felt a great surge of pride for the deflated young Hokage-to-be sitting next to him, and was possessed of an unshakable certainty that Naruto would one day attain his ambition. He noticed that Teuchi and his daughter had been listening to Naruto's speech with interest and not a little awe. They even had some tears welling up.

"NARUTO!" Iruka was distracted by a loud man standing right behind him. How had he not noticed him? He turned around, and identified the green jumpsuits that heralded Maito Gai and his student, Rock Lee. The man was openly crying, as was his much shorter protégé in matching clothes. The sight was made even more ridiculous by the fact that they were both in a handstand.

"Gai-sensei? Lee? What are you doing here?" Gai answered him through tears and sniffling.

"I was running laps through Konoha on my hands to atone for my most recent loss against my eternal rival, and Lee volunteered to follow me! We passed by this most youthful ramen stand as you were beginning your speech, and we... we..." He flipped back onto his feet, his forearm brought up to stem the flow the tears. It didn't work, and Lee, following his beloved sensei's example, was back on his feet and continuing the tale, his fist held trembling underneath his face.

"We were so passionately moved by your youthful words, Naruto-kun! I understand that we should not have eavesdropped, but we could not help it! Your words kept us from departing, even as they overflowed with the power of your youth!" Gai had recovered by now, and together, they struck their "nice guy" pose, the collective shine from their teeth visible through their passionately flowing tears of youthful joy.

"To sacrifice your own glory for the sake of another...! Naruto! You truly understand what it means to possess the burning power of youth, and I am proud to call you my student alongside Lee!" Iruka chuckled lightly as Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Eh, thanks, Gai-sensei..."

"Naruto, in tribute to your burning youth, we will all train twice as hard, starting tomorrow!"

"Gai-sensei, we should try and train three times as hard! That way Naruto-kun and I will unlock our potentials even sooner!" Naruto was sweating at this point, and Iruka wondered if he would be able to survive that increased pace.

"Yosh! Good thinking, Lee! All right, Naruto, this may seem sudden, but from tomorrow onwards we will be working five times as hard!" Gai threw back his head and laughed as loudly as he usually did.

"But... Gai-sensei, we stopped doing laps on our hands. We must do something to atone for that right away!"

"Ah, that's right! Very well, then, we shall run seven hundred more laps around Konoha on our hands, then perform five hundred push-ups at the top of the Hokage monument...!" Right on cue, their stomachs growled angrily. "...All on an empty stomach!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"LET'S GO!" They shouted as one, flipped back onto their hands and sped off while shouting, "FOR THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!"

Leaving behind two amused civilians, one very amused chuunin, and one shinobi-in-training who was wondering just how much he was going to hurt tomorrow.

* * *

><p>"Umino Iruka to see you again, Hokage-sama."<p>

Sarutobi nodded, and the chuunin was let into his office. Before he could say anything, Iruka had asked a very strange question.

"Did you know that Naruto is receiving taijutsu tutoring alongside Rock Lee?"

"Gai's student? No, I didn't." His ANBU had, for some reason, decided that was not important, or perhaps had assumed that Gai would tell the Hokage himself. "Why do you ask?"

"It's because Lee is very friendly with him. They first met when Naruto tried to help him fight off some bullies last year in the Academy." Sarutobi chuckled. That was something his ANBU had told him about. Lee had been quite emphatic in his declaration of friendship. But that was not the real issue.

"You've spoken with Naruto regarding his... discrepancies, I assume?"

"Yes."

"What did he tell you?"

"Well, first he asked me something. How many friends do you think Uchiha Sasuke has, Hokage-sama?" Sarutobi looked a little confused, but Iruka rarely repeated questions without a reason. He decided to humor him, and let him make his point.

"I was given to understand that Sasuke is quite popular, both in the village and the Academy." Iruka nodded.

"That's how I answered as well. Then Naruto asked me how many friends Sasuke has."

"Isn't that...?"

"How many friends. Not how many 'admirers, sympathisers, followers, well-wishers, fangirls or even just people blatantly trying to exploit him', was how Naruto put it. People who are willing to spend time with him because he is Uchiha Sasuke, shinobi-in-training with his own goals and fears, and not because he is Uchiha Sasuke, last prodigy of the Uchiha clan and survivor of the Sharingan." It was all Sarutobi could do not to gape. That was a damn good point, and one he'd honestly never noticed before.

"Naruto asked this?"

"Almost word-for-word. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't realise what he was telling me until then."

"So, Naruto and Sasuke are more alike than we realised... Both of them, alone for something they had no control over."

"Which is why Naruto is holding himself back. He is trying to get on Sasuke's team, but not for the glory or fame by association he might get. He sees a kindred spirit in Sasuke, and he's loath to let him be stuck with a team who'll treat him with hero-worship."

"Well then, for the sake of young Uchiha's ego, I think it would not be too grievous an oversight to let Naruto continue as he has done." The two men shared a quick, knowing glance before Sarutobi slipped back into professional mode.

"I've received visits from concerned parents of three of your students."

"Oh?"

"Firstly, Hyuuga Hiashi wishes to know what progress his daughter has made in your class."

Iruka couldn't keep a small scowl off his face. He was well-aware of Hiashi's conspicuous lack of interest in his daughter's life until now.

"Why now?"

"Iruka."

The chuunin sighed. It was unprofessional to bear such hostility towards a student's parent, even if neglect was neglect. "Hai. She is still somewhat distant from her classmates, though I don't believe she is quite as timid as before. I have seen her speaking with others and despite how little time she spends around them, it is a good deal more than my other students. I think it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to call them her friends."

"Who are they?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru." That merited an oddly pensive expression.

"Her marks?"

"Have improved in much the same way as the rest of the class, though she's typically quite high in the rankings when it comes to chakra control exercises." Sarutobi nodded.

"So, you don't think there has been any significant change in her character or abilities?"

"No, Hokage-sama." Then, "Who were the other two students you've been asked about?"

"Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru." So that was the reason for the pensive expression.

"What were the nature of the complaints?"

"Not complaints, strictly speaking. Shikaku was worried that his son is concealing his true ability, and Chouza thought that Chouji had perhaps experienced some undue stress, since he is behaving rather strangely."

"Well, Shikamaru has actually begun making an effort in class, and he's got a very good grasp of most of the syllabus. Chouji... well, he's certainly more aggressive in his taijutsu, but I haven't really seen any huge changes." Sarutobi hmm'd. "Do you think it's relevant that the students who seem to be at the center of this, whatever this is, know each other?"

"It's possible. However, knowing Naruto, I refuse to believe that this is, in any way, detrimental to Konoha." He sighed. "We'll just have to watch their future progress very closely. Dismissed."

Iruka bowed, then left through the door.

Sarutobi sat back and dragged on his pipe. So, Naruto was proving to be more observant than anyone would have previously given him credit. If his ability in fuuinjutsu was anything to go by, he was almost certainly far more accomplished than his Academy scores indicated. Perhaps even good enough to be a rival for the Uchiha.

Sarutobi was grateful that he had been correct that Naruto had been holding back, but for different reasons than he had anticipated. If this continued, perhaps he could call off the ANBU who were following him, or at the very least, he could do so earlier than he originally planned.

On the other hand, if that was the case then he was progressing at a phenomenal rate, and one that, quite frankly, scared the Sandaime Hokage. The last shinobi he knew to progress as quickly were his genin team: They who would eventually become the Sannin. Of course, they had only progressed as quickly after they had graduated.

It was also a mystery as to why Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Hinata were involved. If their parents' assumptions were correct, they too were progressing quickly, but for some reason chose not to call attention to it. Humility and a reserved nature were both boons to a shinobi, but to that degree...?

Sautobi didn't realise that his pipe had gone out a few minutes ago, and he was just chewing on the mouthpiece. He could easily relight it using a simple katon technique, but he was too wrapped up in his thoughts to even consider it.

He doubted that Naruto, or any of his friends (for it was his friends who were involved in this and, strangely, no one else) would tell him if he just asked them. If it was detrimental to the village, and Sarutobi shuddered at the thought that so many could be turned against Konoha already, then they were not likely to tell him about it. If it wasn't detrimental to the village, then he knew they would not reveal anything, as it wasn't a threat. Once they graduated, he could simply order them to tell him, but that would be an abuse of his power that he wasn't comfortable with. So, really, all he could do was wait for one of them to approach him.

Sarutobi felt very old just then, as he realised that all he could do to put his mind at rest, was to wait.


	5. Chapter 5

For one class at the Konoha Ninja Academy, it was a very special day today.

It was today that would decide whether or not they would join the world of shinobi, and in the village's eyes, become adults. Today would decide if they were capable to become genin.

Today was their graduation test.

Naruto's familiar grin was in place as he fixed his goggles for what would be the last time. Today he would pass, though by unorthodox means, and more, he would 'learn' the technique that would eventually define his entire repertoire of ninjutsu. Of course, he already knew Kage Bunshin, but he was a little bit rusty after not using it for two years. Regardless, he knew the technique already, it was just a matter of making sure this body could use it, which meant he could spend a little more time on the rest of the scroll. There had to be one or two techniques in there that he could learn.

All of this, of course, depended on the final exam being the Bunshin no jutsu.

Naruto cringed. That was something of a sore point. No matter how good his chakra control had become in the future, no matter how focused or determined he was to make it work, regular old Bunshin no jutsu was something he had never mastered, and never would. Kage bunshin were easy, for him. Just one hand-seal, a quick squeeze of chakra, and he could pop out a couple dozen without even breaking a sweat. His record so far, not counting some instances where he'd later suffered from chakra exhaustion, was around three thousand fully autonomous kage bunshin, and that was if he concentrated for a few seconds. He'd never actually used that many in combat, but it was reassuring to know you were literally able to call up a small army at a moment's notice. He could even create exploding clones. He'd at least managed to steal one technique from Itachi.

But normal, illusionary bunshin?

Nope. Not a one. Well, not a convincing one, anyway, and Naruto honestly couldn't figure out why. He'd had enough chakra control to create the rasengan, and later, the rasenshuriken, one handed. But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how little chakra he let drip into the technique, he could never create a satisfactory bunshin. Hell, he couldn't even make one that could stand up.

So, in all, he was ready to fail this genin exam. It was all he could do to remind himself that passing this exam was NOT the primary objective, and that in order for Mizuki to reveal himself as a traitor, he needed to give him an opportunity to do so. Like fail the exam.

Naruto sighed as he walked out his door, ready for what would never be surpassed as his most humiliating moment: failing to create even a single bunshin in front of his entire class.

* * *

><p>Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat without success. The graduation exam had exactly the same intimidating atmosphere as last time. If she was unable to pass, she would be disowned by the clan, and be forced to find work as a civilian. Objectively, she knew there was no chance of that ever happening, especially this time around. However her underlying nerves, as well as her defeatist side - a voice she never could silence completely - suggested that maybe she was deluding herself. Maybe, this time, they had noticed her odd behaviour, and made the test more difficult.<p>

She'd had similar thoughts the first time around as well, if only for the reason that she was a Hyuuga, and more importantly, the daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi. She had thought that maybe her father had requested her exam be made more difficult, that she might be truly tested in her ability.

That had been untrue, of course. Her father had never even shown any interest beyond her rank in-class. Obviously, Uchiha Sasuke had dominated the marking, but she had still finished in the top third of her class. Unfortunately, that still meant that there were about nine people between her and the top spot.

Her father had dismissed her completely at that point.

She shook her head quickly, to dispel these traitorous thoughts. She would pass. She had passed last time, and she would pass now. She was not going to try her best, she was going to do her best, at least within the realms of non-suspicion. Not yet, she chided herself. She couldn't go all-out with her abilities yet, for her cousin's sake. She still had to present this weak, timid façade until the chuunin exams.

Not yet...!

* * *

><p>By the end of the day, most of the class were either elated or anxious, which was no real change from that morning. The only difference was who was elated or anxious. Some students had performed better than they had expected to, while others had watched their peers perform better than they. Ultimately, cautious optimism was the rule of the day, and now it was the final part of the exam. Chakra theory and taijutsu had been dealt with earlier in the day. Now was the moment of truth for many: the quality which was the defining point of a shinobi. Anyone could fight with fists, or understand, at least intellectually, how chakra worked and interacted with the body.<p>

But only a true ninja, the true elite, could mold that chakra and perform ninjutsu.

And it was going to be so easy, too! Bunshin no jutsu? They'd all mastered that months ago!

Well, most of them had...

Hinata turned to Naruto, several rows ahead of her, openly worried for him. If Naruto had a weakness in his ninjutsu, this was it. Techniques which required so little chakra to work that he was incapable of bleeding off the required amount. For shinobi who didn't have chakra reserves as... expansive as he did, bunshin no jutsu was easy, and provided a small measure of chakra control for students. It was a technique intended to give prospective ninja a taste for molding and controlling chakra, and had little real use outside of a classroom. She wondered if the people responsible for the exam knew that, and had chosen this technique for the final exam specifically to deny Naruto from gaining his hitai-ite. Her frown was still on her face as her name was called, and she walked down to the front to perform it. She caught Naruto's eye on the way down, and he gave her a reassuring wink.

It was not her intention to produce four red-faced bunshin whose blushes were all identical to her own, but they still passed her the exam.

Naruto stood up with a lead ball in his stomach. Despite the cheeky facade he'd put up for his friends' sake, Naruto was anxious. He was confident that Mizuki would reveal his true colors once he failed the exam, but at the end of the day, he was still entrusting his future to the actions of a traitor.

Mizuki might not even care in this timeline. He might have given up on his stupid scheme out of caution, or regret, or who knows what. He and his friends might have altered things to the point that Mizuki wouldn't approach him. Oh kami, that question. That damned question five! Had Iruka shown it to Mizuki, who then thought better of trying to trick a genin with such an intimidating comprehension of fuuinjutsu? Did he even care? Did he have his own means of obtaining the scroll this time?

Naruto forced himself to calm down. Even if Mizuki's plans had changed, that just meant he'd have to change his own to match them. He already knew Kage bunshin no jutsu, and ultimately, this was just a rank test.

A rank test with so much riding on it! Team Seven, Jiraiya, the chuunin exams... Oh kami, Gaara! The invasion!

No. Stop thinking about what might happen. What could be. Focus on the present, and deal with it from there. If things have changed irrevocably, simply from my being here, then... Well, I'm no worse off than I was first time around, am I?

Naruto focused on the technique. He formed the necessary seals, molded the smallest amount of chakra he possibly could, and...

Iruka's grimace as he watched Naruto completely misfire the bunshin no jutsu was not entirely unsympathetic. The three off-color clones wouldn't fool a... well, a fool. One was standing up, but it's legs were shaky, and after a few moments, it completely dissipated. The other two were lying on the ground, utterly hopeless. One of them was drooling.

Then they, too, vanished in a puff of sickly-sweet vapor, leaving the original with a worried frown across his face. Iruka shook his head to himself. If Naruto was really holding himself back to get on Sasuke's team, well he could understand fudging his marks in class. But why would he intentionally fail the exam? He'd never even be on any team, let alone Sasuke's.

Mizuki turned to Iruka. The other chuunin had been a friend of Iruka's from childhood, and while he sometimes exuded frustration with some of his students, he'd trust him to the ends of the earth. He spoke kindly, likely to spare Naruto's feelings in the face of such an embarrassing performance.

"Well, technically, he did produce three bunshin, Iruka. We could pass him." Naruto's face didn't change from his worried frown. Iruka knew Naruto was thinking of what he'd told the older chuunin a few weeks ago. Did he think that Iruka thought he was still holding back?

No, he'd seen that look on Naruto's face before. That really had been his best attempt at the technique, but if that was the case, Iruka really didn't have any choice.

"Naruto... YOU FAIL!"

* * *

><p>Inwardly, Mizuki smirked.<p>

As he had expected, the demon brat had failed the exam, despite Iruka's suspicions that he was far more capable than he let on. Iruka... So damn predictable. Of course he wouldn't let the demon pass without a good score. He was far too attached to it, and wouldn't let it go out into the world unless he was certain it could take care of itself. Of course it could, it was a bloody demon! Yet still, Iruka refused to see the truth about the demonhost.

It was a demon. Simple. Uncomplicated. Fact. No matter how much that old fool and Iruka insisted otherwise, that wasn't going to change. But at least he could get some use out of the creature, and hey, maybe even do Konoha a favor before he left. They were weak, but still, they'd managed to produce him, hadn't they?

Some small part; some very, very, small part of Mizuki felt a twinge of regret for what he was about to do to the village where he grew up, but maybe getting rid of the demon would shut his conscience up.

Putting on his best warm smile, reserved for weaklings and fools, he approached the demon sitting on a swing.

"Oi, Naruto..." It looked up. Mizuki had to give the demon credit for this, at least. It was almost as good an actor as he was. If he didn't know any better, he'd have said that pained look was genuine. "Don't hold it against Iruka. He pushes you this hard because he wants to make sure you're as good as you can be." He paused, "He sees himself in you, you know. He grew up alone, too." Because of you, you demon brat, he wanted to say, but he wisely refrained. "You know, there is another way for you to become a genin..."

* * *

><p>Naruto was ecstatic as he sped through the forest to the place that Mizuki had told him about, the scroll strapped tightly onto his back. Things had gone just as they had last time, but he was going to give Mizuki an even bigger pounding this time. But for now, he had to re-learn Kage-bunshin, to make sure he could still use it, and then, maybe learn another technique as well. He had three hours with the scroll, and the mind of a Hokage to put to use deciphering its contents.<p>

Here's to you, Mizuki-sensei, you lying, traitorous, son of a bitch!

* * *

><p>Naruto sat, unfurling the scroll in front of him as he did so. There, the very first technique, was Kage bunshin no jutsu. Unravelling it further would likely reveal more kinjutsu, but Nauto wasn't interested in them.<p>

For the moment.

"Yosh! Let's see, what to learn, what to learn...? Well, first things first, I guess..." Naruto stood up, re-reading the instructions for Kage bunshin no jutsu thoroughly. Nodding, he formed the seal, and molded the necessary chakra for just one kage bunshin.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" A loud bang, and a poof of smoke later, and there, standing next to him, was a perfect double. He poked it, just to be sure.

Yep, good and solid. Both Narutos cheered and did a little jig. He hadn't really thought he'd forget how to perform this technique, but it was better to be sure. The kage bunshin vanished after that, and Naruto sat down to give the scroll a thorough once-over, maybe to find something new that he could use.

Hm-hm...

Yeah...

Okay...

Right...

...Who the hell came up with that one?

After a half-hour going through the scroll, Naruto discovered that he was really quite fortunate. With a few exceptions, Kage bunshin was the least gut-turning technique in there. Some of these techniques had been sealed away with good reason. One of the nastier ones had the explicit purpose of turning an enemy inside out! But there were some that were only sealed because of chakra requirement, and looked to be your standard combat ninjutsu.

Naruto's grin was absolutely feral as he came across a fuuton technique, and by the looks of it, a scarily powerful one.

"Daitatsumaki no jutsu... S-rank ninjutsu... Stolen from Sunagakure... Heh, probably by Kakashi. Seals... Effect..." He was right. This was a frighteningly powerful technique, and one that he would definitely be practising afterwards. Naruto stood, and went through the seals for a weaker version, intended to prepare for the real thing. The proper daitatsumaki covered a humongous area, and he wasn't ready to be caught like that just yet. He still needed to master it on a smaller scale anyway, which, even though it wasn't named in the scroll, would still be a potent ninjutsu in its own right. He considered naming it himself, if he couldn't find it anywhere else.

Naruto shook his head as he practiced the seals for each tier of the technique, without molding the chakra, so he didn't accidentally set it off. The chakra required for each of the techniques sealed in this scroll was immense. Mizuki was insane if he thought he could master even one of these techniques.

Oh, right...

Mizuki IS insane.

* * *

><p>Mizuki grinned as he came to where he knew the demon would be. He'd told it about the place, after all. It'd managed to get the scroll without any problems, thanks to Mizuki's little 'distraction' for the ANBU. It had even managed to get it open. Mizuki was surprised there weren't any traps on the scroll. That was what the demon's role in this had been, after all. Let it trip any booby-traps on the scroll, then Mizuki could swoop in and snag the (now safe) scroll without any problems. But, now the demon was reading the scroll and learning some of the techniques. Mizuki snarled. Those were HIS techniques, dammit! How dare the demon try and master them itself? Mizuki was going to kill the brat anyway, but now he was going to enjoy it.<p>

Not that he wouldn't have enjoyed it before.

However, he was too slow in revealing himself, and Iruka appeared on the scene. Mizuki was honestly surprised. He hadn't expected this level of competence from Iruka, that he was able to find the demon brat. Now he and the demon were arguing, and from the look on Iruka's face, it was telling the weak chuunin about his involvement.

Oh well, Mizuki thought as he drew a hand of kunai. Looks like they both get to die.

* * *

><p>Naruto dove to the side almost simultaneous to Iruka forcefully shoving him in the same direction. Realising that Naruto was moving on his own, Iruka used some of his original force to move himself out of the way, too. The hail of kunai that followed didn't wound Iruka quite as badly as it had the first time around. Mizuki had made himself known, and was perched atop a tree branch.<p>

"I'm surprised you knew about this place." He ignored Iruka's belated comprehension of the situation, and returned his attention to his original objective. "Naruto. Hand over the scroll."

The first time around, Naruto had been just a tad naïve about the whole thing. He'd still been viewing Mizuki as his sensei, a figure of authority and respect. Taking into account Mizuki's attitude towards him in the final days at the Academy, he really had been. Consequently, young Naruto's mind couldn't quite grasp the concept that he'd been used until Iruka had spelled it out for him.

This time, however, Naruto knew who and what Mizuki really was.

Naruto also knew himself, and what was sealed behind his navel.

This Naruto was also sick of playing dumb.

Iruka pulled out the kunai in his leg. Naruto hadn't responded, so he imagined he must have been in shock that Mizuki, of all people, could have betrayed Konoha.

"Naruto, don't let Mizuki get that scroll no matter wh-"

"I know." Both chuunin stared at him. What? "Even if I was going to anyway, he just attacked you, Iruka-sensei. Mizuki is no friend of Konoha." He patted the scroll on his back, his face uncharacteristically grim. "So he's not getting this." As Naruto expected, this infuriated Mizuki to no small degree. He still persisted with his original plan, though. Naruto wasn't sure if Mizuki was being cunning or just desperate.

"Naruto, Iruka's afraid of you having that scroll." He spoke steadily, confident. He was certain this would work. As Iruka vehemently denied this, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why. He'd already declared himself against Mizuki, so why did he...? He was interrupted by Mizuki's mocking laugh. "I'll tell you the truth."

"DON'T!"

"After the incident twelve years ago, a law was created." Naruto didn't bite, but Mizuki continued, unheeding. Smug, self-assured victory was etched in every inch of his face. "It's a law that only you, Naruto, can't learn of."

"Stop, Mizuki!" Mizuki's smugness remained in place. He wasn't about to compromise this for the protests of a weakling chuunin.

"It is the law not to say that Naruto is a monster fox." His face was triumphant as he finished, drowning out Iruka's pleading. "You are the Kyuubi, that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed Konoha! The village has been lying to you all this time!" Naruto kept his face blank, which Mizuki seemed to interpret as shock. "You didn't think it was weird that so many people hated you so much?" He unhooked one of his giant shuriken. "No one's ever going to recognise you! Even Iruka hates you!

"DIE, NARUTO!"

* * *

><p>Naruto sat, trembling, his arms wrapped around the scroll. He couldn't help it. Damned adrenaline. Why did Iruka have to jump in this time, too? Naruto'd stood his ground. He knew he could have dodged the shuriken, but Iruka knocked him to the ground and took the hit anyway. The shock of that, followed by Iruka's tearful confession which was refuted by Mizuki, had been more than he could handle, and he ran off. Again.<p>

Iruka was in no danger yet, he knew that. Mizuki was after him. Iruka had just been collateral damage. But Naruto knew that Mizuki could not get the scroll. If he did, he would take it to Orochimaru. Mizuki would die, or worse, and Orochimaru would have access to all the kinjutsu sealed away in this scroll. Naruto'd only read through a quarter of it before finding the Daitatsumaki, but he was sure that there were more techniques of the gruesome variety than there were of the chakra-draining variety.

And he was certain that Orochimaru, unlike Mizuki, would be able to master them all.

He stiffened. Iruka and Mizuki had just 'dropped in', and Mizuki was trying to convince Iruka that Naruto was, in fact, the Kyuubi reincarnated.

"I'm not letting an idiot like you get that scroll." Iruka was defiant in the face of Mizuki's betrayal.

"You're the idiot here. Naruto is the same as me."

"Same as you?"

"That scroll holds endless possibilities. There's no way that bastard fox won't make use of it's powers."

"You're right..." Iruka condeded quietly. Naruto gulped. Moment of Truth... had his tampering driven away the first person to ever recognise him? "If Naruto was the Kyuubi.

"But he's not. And he's different from you. He's not a power-hungry, selfish fool. He's a determined student, who understands the pain of others, and the pain of not being recognised for who you are, instead of the circumstances of your birth. He understands so well, he's willing to sacrifice his own glory for the well-being of others.

"He's an excellent student that I recognise... and he will be a great shinobi. He's not the Kyuubi. He is Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha!"

"Idiot. Just for that, you're going to die n-!" Mizuki never finished his sentence, and his shuriken throw went wide.

Having an angry blond twelve-year-old kick you in the chin tends to do that. As Mizuki skidded across the forest floor, Naruto sat the scroll on the ground, one hand on the dowel to keep it upright.

"Don't touch Iruka-sensei. If you do, I'll kill you." The killing intent that accompanied that statement left neither chuunin in any doubt that he meant it. Mizuki still tried to act like he had control of the situation, however.

"G-Go ahead and talk. I can deal with a kid like you easily."

His hands in the appropriate seal, Naruto decided it was time to see just how much he'd improved from the other timeline.

"Go ahead and try. You'll get a thousand times more damage back."

"Try if you can, you bastard demon!" Mizuki screamed.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" That section of forest took on quite the flattering shade of orange as the kage bunshin literally crowded over themselves. It wasn't possible to see a single speck of green. Mizuki stumbled and lost his balance at the sight of so many demons! Naruto, all of them, grinned.

Last time, he'd not even come close to the mark of a thousand that he'd promised, maybe three hundred at most.

This time, he wouldn't be surprised if he'd exceeded that number.

"So, come on, then! Come and get me!" Mizuki looked like this was the last place on the planet he wanted to be.

Oh, Mizuki... Naruto thought. Hell's looking mighty tempting right about now, isn't it?

Mizuki screamed.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Mizuki lay twitching on the ground, beaten to a bloody pulp.<p>

"Maybe I overdid it a little..." Naruto admitted sheepishly. Inwardly, he was disappointed that Mizuki couldn't take any more punishment. Kami knows, he deserved it.

Iruka, for his part, was both amazed and a little disturbed. He'd been sceptical when Naruto had told him he was holding back, especially after his performance in the ninjutsu exam. But now?

No, Naruto was most definitely not boasting emptily. To be able to use that many Kage Bunshin without collapsing was a feat in and of itself. True, he couldn't use Bunshin, but with this level of proficiency in Kage Bunshin, he didn't need to.

Naruto was ready and deserving of being called a genin of Konoha.

In time, he would be more than deserving of the title of Hokage.

* * *

><p>Naruto's first meeting with Konohamaru had proceeded almost exactly as it had the first time around, and he had ended up, like before, teaching Konohamaru the meaning of determination.<p>

He'd also ended up, like before, teaching Konohamaru the Oiroke no jutsu. The boy was going to become a genius in its use.

He'd also got to use the Harem no jutsu on that closet pervert Ebisu. Again.

That was never going to get old.

Nor had it, he giggled to himself. Coming up with increasingly perverted ninjutsu and using them on Ebisu had become a private competition between the Sixth Hokage and his loyal jounin, Konohamaru.

But that was in the future.

For now, Konohamaru was still an impatient, if determined, young ninja-in-training. He was improving.

Naruto had just waved him goodbye on his way to the genin's explanatory meeting, and, although his stealth ability was awful now (or was it? He somehow managed to appear whenever Naruto least expected it), he'd be far better in the future.

But then that was the whole problem, wasn't it? People needed to get better sooner than before.

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the Academy, still a few minutes early, Naruto's gut was wrenching itself apart.<p>

Oh, sure, he'd managed to pass the Academy exam, but Kakashi's bell test was coming up. And even before that, there was the team listings. Shikamaru and Chouji were going to be stuck with Ino again, he was sure of that: the Ino-Shika-Chou trio wouldn't be broken apart because of a difference in skill.

Hey, who knew, they might even convert Ino to being a determined, capable kunoichi... as had happened last time. Eventually. Even then, her speciality was still undercover infiltration and investigation, but she'd still improved drastically after she started to take the whole thing seriously, and even gotten up to scratch in terms of outright combat ability

Perhaps that would happen a little earlier this time.

Hinata was unlikely to be teamed with anyone other than Kiba and Shino. Team 8, later Team Kurenai, had become legendary as field reconnaissance, which Naruto had learned was the whole damned point of putting together a team consisting of an Aburame, with their loyal and nigh undetectable kikai; an Inuzuka, with their keen sense of smell and heavy combat ability; and a Hyuuga, with the Byakugan. Shino and Kiba were always serious about their ability, and about furthering said ability. Hinata's lack of confidence had meant they were looking out for her most of the time.

That wasn't going to be an issue this time around.

Naruto's biggest worry was that Iruka would put him in a different team. It was possible, however unlikely, that Iruka's knowledge of Naruto's precocious ability would color his opinion of whether or not Naruto really was dead last in the class. Of course, that was what all the assessment scores said, so, maybe...

Naruto shook his head. Iruka knew damn well why Naruto had held back in class, so even if he did want to help, that would be balanced out by where he'd go normally. Naruto had no reason to worry about that, even if this was a delicate period. What he understood about probability, coupled with Shikamaru's own projections, suggested that they wouldn't be causing any drastic changes until the first time they fought all-out. That wasn't going to happen until long after Team allocations.

But there was another event that could happen before even that. The real reason why Naruto was in such a distraught state. He might be able to avoid it, he might not, but there was no denying the fact that the first time around... on this day... in that classroom...

No. Strike it from your mind.

That never happened.

If he told himself that enough times, it might even be true.

Unfortunately, despite Naruto's vehement denial of the... event – which never happened – it did still happen... Had happened? Would happen? Naruto, if he wasn't careful, was going to end up kissing Sasuke...

Naruto whimpered.

Please don't let... 'that' happen again...!

* * *

><p>Hinata approached the Academy for what she knew would be the final time, only to come across Naruto standing on his own, looking towards the same Academy with dread. He was also... shaking?<p>

What could possibly frighten Naruto so much?

"Ano... Naruto-kun?" Naruto blinked and snapped out of it, turning to see who had called his name.

"Eh...? Hinata." She walked closer, and other newly graduated genin filed in around them. He was still a little anxious about... something...

"Is everything all right, Naruto-kun?" He swallowed and started to nod, which then turned into rather frantic shaking of the head. "Wh-what's wrong?" He looked around in a paranoid frenzy. No one? No one?

Can't take that chance! He indicated the trees by the lone swing. She nodded and followed him there.

"Well... you... remember what happened last time, right?" He asked.

"We were assigned our genin teams, and then left with our jounin-sensei." He shook his head, that terrified look still present,

"Be-before that. Just before Iruka-sensei came... came into the classroom."

Hinata thought carefully. Oh.

That.

"You... you mean when... you and Sasuke-kun..."

"It did not happen." His face was contorted in fear.

"I'm afraid it did, Naruto-kun."

"I know. Just... just let me pretend, for a little while longer..." Naruto looked trapped. He'd often looked back at that memory and laughed, in later years, but apparently he wasn't so eager to re-live it. Hinata thought that to be understandable: she would be just as reluctant to kiss Sakura.

As far as Hinata could tell, the fact that he'd kissed Sasuke, however accidentally, was made worse by the fact that it was his first kiss...

"Ano, Naruto-kun, you could try and avoid it."

"I've considered that, but some... things up until now have made me worry that maybe I CAN'T." The very thought was terrifying, but this would be the first real test of whether or not fate could be defeated. If he ended up kissing Sasuke, despite his best efforts, then fate was likely immutable, and the whole point of their self-appointed mission would be proved useless.

However, if he could avoid the... event... then fate truly was something malleable. Something you could forge for yourself out of your own determination and ability.

Naruto was REALLY hoping that fate could be defeated here and now, for many, many reasons.

"Naruto-kun. Fate is NOT unchangeable. You taught me that. You taught Neji-nii-san that. You will teach so many others to fight for their own destiny."

She wanted to hug him, right now, but she could not risk that. Kiba would be able to catch the intermingling scents. The loud and often tactless boy would then make a scene of the whole thing, and word would get back to her father, or worse, Neji.

She wanted to kiss Naruto, right now, but she could not risk that.

She had to settle for grasping his hand tightly in reassurance. His grin was sickly, dreading what was to come, but his grip was firm against her hand.

Nothing needed be said as they parted and walked into the Academy.

You hear that, Fate? Naruto thought, I'm not going to give in that easy!

* * *

><p>Naruto was wary. He was sitting where he had been last time around: right next to Sasuke.<p>

There had been very few seats left when he had come in after Hinata, but Ino and Sakura had yet to arrive, which meant the danger wasn't over yet. Though, to be honest, Naruto wasn't going to be breathing easy until today was over. That is, until midnight had come and gone. He had every sense on full-alert, and it was obvious to several people that he was tense about... something.

Naruto realised that he had to work on that, as did Sasuke, who was watching him out of the corner of his eye. What had the class clown so on-edge was a mystery to the class prodigy.

Sasuke hated that title. It wasn't that it was misplaced, he was a genius. It was just that he was given it before anyone was even aware of his true ability.

He was an Uchiha, Itachi's little brother, and, to top it off, the last of the Uchiha clan.

So, naturally, he must be a genius. Sasuke's fresh scowl was lost in the perpetual one plastered on his face. The weaklings around him had pestered him since day one. Almost the minute he left the hospital after... that day, he noticed people staring at him, whispering. It had been extremely unsettling. He had tried to silence them with a glare, but a seven-year-old just can't quite glare properly.

So, he ignored them. If they wanted to gossip about him, fine. He had more important things to worry about, like killing that treacherous weasel-bastard! To do that, though, he needed power. And so he concentrated on power. He distinguished himself as the best in the class easily, and his individual training outside of class meant that the Academy quickly became only a formality.

Soon after that, he'd noticed his first fangirls. He'd been left alone in the Academy, partly because of the reputation he'd been given following the news of Itachi's betrayal, partly because of his own reaction to said reputation. Without realising, he'd become the aloof, tortured genius Uchiha Sasuke, last prince of the powerful and famous clan that had been Konoha's pride. It drew fangirls with over-active imaginations like flies... no, like cockroaches. Such people, indulging fantasy over reality, were beneath him, and he made a point of ignoring them at all times. None of them had power, and that was what he was interested in.

Of course, he wasn't so self-absorbed as to be averse to the odd mystery or two: in fact, a ninja had to be able to see underneath the underneath, so mystery novels were a small vice he allowed himself to indulge in.

Real life took precedence, though, and so he found himself wondering why the class clown was so alert with more gusto than he would have cared to admit...

His train of thought was rather rudely intruded upon, though not fully derailed, by the loud arrival of the two worst offenders in his fangirl club.

* * *

><p>If possible, Naruto immediately tensed up even more once Sakura and Ino entered the room. Once their requisite argument for just entering the classroom was complete, Sakura looked around. It was obvious who she was looking for, and she found him. Naruto feigned ignorance of her presence, but it was rather hard to do so when she ran up to him. Looking up at her in what he hoped was mild surprise, he greeted her.<p>

Cautiously.

"Ah, good morning, Sakur-"

"Out of the way!" She immediately threw him out of his seat. Rubbing his head where it impacted with the opposite desk, he watched as she enthusiastically greeted Sasuke. The greeting was entirely one-sided, however, as Sasuke did not even acknowledge her presence. Naruto stood, getting out of the way of the near riot that was forming over who got to sit next to "Sasuke-kun". The genin in question was thoroughly bored of the whole event, and had no qualms about displaying that boredom.

Then Naruto leapt up on his desk.

* * *

><p>If, right at that moment, Naruto had to name what he thought to be his worst quality, he would have to admit that he enjoyed tempting fate far too much. It just made it all the sweeter when, in his usual fashion, he ended up spitting in fate's face and laughing at its best attempts to make him stick to it's plans.<p>

It was such a ridiculously consistent habit that he might even go so far as to call it a weakness of his.

It would certainly explain why he was in a position that, were he of any sounder mind, he would have run away from without looking back. He knew what would happen were he to remain here too long.

But that was the point. He intended not to stay there too long, but to stay there for a while anyway, engaging Sasuke in a glaring contest. The bastard was really quite skilled at it, even directing a small trickle of killing intent into the effort.

It was then the fresh genin in the next row down decided to lean back and throw his elbow onto the desk behind him. Needless to say, Naruto reacted quickly.

Arm!

Desk!

Somersault over and...!

Land on Sasuke. Fail. Naruto's only solace came from one little thought: At least we didn't end up kissing this time.

The Uchiha Fan Club didn't see it that way, however. Naruto had, in their eyes, physically assaulted Sasuke.

Such an act had only one suitable punishment. Naruto winced. This had been painful last time, but at least this time they weren't trying to avenge their lost fantasies. So, surely this time around wouldn't be quite as painful...

...Right?

* * *

><p>"Starting today, you are all official ninja, but... You all are still new genin. It's only going to get harder from here." Naruto was barely conscious enough to listen to Iruka's speech for all the wide-eyed new genin. He knew roughly what it had consisted of. He'd given it himself to the first class to graduate under his stint as the Sixth. Er... He would give it when he became the Sixth...<p>

That got old really fast. When, exactly, was he going to feel comfortable in his own skin again? Then Iruka got to the part that Naruto wanted to be awake for.

"You will all be in groups of three, where you will accomplish missions under a jounin teacher."

The Team allocations. This was going to be one of the more nerve-wracking moments after coming back, since Naruto had no direct control over them. Team Ten was not in danger of being split up, and unless they'd caused some major changes, the Council's pet project (in the form of a specialised tracking team) was also unlikely to be changed. Team Seven was the biggest worry, since, unlike a couple of other teams, there were no outside politics at work. It was dependent solely on in-class performance.

The muttering around the classroom at the mention of three-man teams brought Naruto out of his funk. He could hear Sakura and Ino arguing over who would be in Sasuke's group, but then, nearly every kunoichi in the room was discussing that issue.

He could also, this time, distinctly hear Sasuke's scoff at the idea of being put on a team. He glared at the prodigy out of the corner of his eye.

Willfully oblivious to the small dramas being perpetrated throughout the classroom, Iruka continued, flashing the sheet of paper that held the team formations.

"We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent. I will now announce them."

* * *

><p>Shikamaru, from his seat on the back row, had a very good view of the spectacle that Naruto had put on for the class, but in true lazy genius form, had ignored it. Now that Iruka was here and about to announce the team set-ups, though, his attention was caught.<p>

Enough so that he could hear Ino and Sakura's brief argument over Sasuke's team. He smirked. This was too good a chance to pass up.

"Ino, you're not going to be on Sasuke's team." The blonde was riled up at this casual dismissal of her ambitions, such as they were.

"Oh, really? And what makes you say that?"

"Ino, who's your dad?" She blinked,

"Yamanaka Inoichi. You know that." He continued, regardless.

"Who's my dad?"

"Nara Shikaku." Her eyes were narrowed now. She was suspicious of something.

"Chouji's dad?"

"Akimichi Chouza."

Shikamaru nodded, "Right. Now, think very carefully. How are those three otherwise known, collectively, in the village?" Ino's impeccably plucked eyebrow rose a notch.

"They're the Ino-Shika-Chou trio. What are you getting at?"

"If you have to ask, I think you already know." He grinned, "Does the phrase, 'Stick with what works', mean anything to you?" Her expression was priceless.

"Th-that doesn't necessarily mean that...!"

"Hai, hai. Let's just listen then, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto..." Naruto immediately tensed. This is it!<p>

"...Haruno Sakura..." YES. One down... though Sakura looked just as downcast to be in Naruto's team as she had been before.

"...Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura cheered. Naruto had to fight not to smile. Don't smile. Don't yell. Do nothing, react as... huh?

Iruka had a knowing smile, and it was directed at him.

Naruto smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Team Eight: Hyuuga Hinata..."<p>

"Hai!"

"...Inuzuka Kiba..." A meant-to-be-feral smirk in response.

"...Aburame Shino." No response.

* * *

><p>Ino was incensed that she had lost her place at Sasuke-kun's side to the forehead girl. Why? WHY? Just to rub it in, Sakura turned and flashed a 'victory' sign.<p>

"Why do you get to be with him?"

Sakura only grinned in response and Shikamaru butted in.

"What's so attractive about him, anyway?"

"Don't you even know that, Shikamaru?"

"I have no idea what you girls see in him. Is it looks or something, because he definitely doesn't have much in the way of personality."

Ino fixed him with a glare, before brushing him off with a patronising response.

"That's why you're not popular. I wouldn't want to be on a team with a guy like you." Shikamaru simply grinned as Iruka continued to read out the teams.

"Team Ten: Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru..."

Ino gaped.

"I tol-" Shikamaru began.

"Don't say it! Besides, there might be someone el-"

"...Akimichi Chouji."

"..."

"You were saying...?"

"Those are the teams. I'm going to introduce your jounin-sensei in the afternoon. Enjoy your lunch!"


	6. Chapter 6

At the mention of lunch, the genin quickly began to file out of the room for their food. Some teams left as a group, while others decided to spend their last day at the Academy with friends who would be continuing in different groups.

Team Seven, however, split up entirely. Sasuke wanted to eat alone, and couldn't care less about his teammates. Sakura wanted to avoid Naruto and have lunch with Sasuke, using the rather hypocritical excuse of improving team dynamics. Naruto needed to change this situation right now. He intended to do so by getting the three of them to eat lunch together.

...It would be a start, at least.

"Oi, Sasuke-yaro!" Several of the girls tensed at Sasuke being addressed in such a manner, but ultimately did nothing but seethe. In spite of himself, Sasuke paused.

"What do you want?"

"If we're on the same team, how about we eat lunch as a team? I'm sure Sakura'll be okay with it."

The 'prodigy' simply brushed him off.

"You know, you're going to be stuck with us for a long time. You may as well get used to it now." The response that little statement earned him was a cold glare. Naruto fought the urge to laugh as he watched the gears turn in Sasuke's head. True, he would be stuck with them for while. But in Sasuke's case, that just meant he wanted to spend as little time as possible around them. Eating lunch with them was NOT conducive to that goal.

On the other hand, it might easier in the long run if he could set precedent now, by agreeing and then being as uncooperative as he could. If they ever did think to convince him to join them for social purposes again, they'd have this example to fall back on. The enigma that was the dead last was also still at the forefront of his mind. A few minutes with... these weaklings was not so great a price as to decipher Naruto, was it?

"...Fine."

Sakura, as predicted, had little objection to eating lunch with Sasuke.

* * *

><p>So it was that Team Seven found themselves sitting on a nearby rooftop, sharing quality time as they ate their lunches. Their respective tastes and resources were made plain to see: Sasuke had a self-made lunch of onigiri, Sakura had a bento, prepared for by a loving mother and Naruto, of course, had instant ramen.<p>

Naruto's eyes flickered between the two genin in front of him. Sakura was, in between bites of her bento lunch, looking at Sasuke with something like longing. Scratch that, it was longing. Sasuke was silent, his eyes closed while he ate, as he did his best to ignore the occasional loud slurping noises from Naruto's ramen and soft clicking of Sakura's chopsticks. They ate in relative silence, and they finished in silence.

Naruto was struck by just how awkward the situation actually was.

Sasuke wasn't going to say anything because that would be beneath him.

Sakura wasn't going to say anything except to parrot her precious Sasuke-kun… and he wasn't going to say anything.

So, it fell to Naruto to do something about it. The question was, what to say to break the ice?

"Uh... so... We're a team now, huh?"

Silence. Sasuke appeared insulted that Naruto was trying to socialise with him at all, while Sakura appeared insulted that he was trying to interfere in what she must have viewed as time alone with Sasuke. Never mind that Naruto was the reason why she had any time with Sasuke, alone or not.

Okay, fine. She wanted alone time with Sasuke? She'd have it. At least then she might say something, and Naruto would rather have a rapport between two members of his team than none. Naruto stood, picking up the remains of his cup ramen and whatever waste his two teammates had produced with their lunch. "I'll just get rid of the trash, all right?"

Maybe, just maybe, if the two of them could talk alone, Sakura would get over her idealised image of Sasuke sooner. Naruto went and left the two of them alone.

Sasuke watched him go with a curious eye. Taking in everything he could: the way he walked, the way he had spoken, the way he carried himself... anything to try and unravel the mystery that was the class clown. Annoyingly, Sasuke had never paid much attention to him before. Why should he have? Naruto was the dead last, beneath his notice. At least until he became an object of curiosity. Sasuke did not like admitting when he was beaten. He was going to figure out what the hell was going on if it killed him.

A shy cough caught his attention.

Oh. Right. Sakura. Not that Sasuke would be able to forget, the number of times he'd heard it over the past few years, mostly shouted by...

Naruto... He'd shown an interest in the girl a while back, hadn't he? Perhaps she knew something of him.

"Sakura," The girl started, then beamed at him. Sasuke kept his face as impassive as ever as he continued, "What do you think of Naruto?"

Sakura didn't answer immediately. Her first instinct was to decry Naruto as an annoying pest, who interfered with her love at every opportunity. But then, that wasn't quite true, was it? At least not any more it wasn't.

Then again, Sakura didn't realise that. The idea she had of Naruto was the same as it had always been, but since he didn't bother her much anymore, she didn't think about him. Ever since this morning, however... That public scene, that show of pure idiocy (attacking Sasuke-kun!) she was certain this was a relapse. Now they were on the same team, he must have thought he had a chance with her.

Never mind that it had happened BEFORE the Team listings...

"He's gotten used to interfering with my love. He's having fun watching me having trouble." She flicked her hair, "It's because he doesn't have any parents, you know." Sasuke's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "I mean, without any parents to scold you when you do something wrong, of course someone's going to grow up like that."

Sasuke had a perfect poker face. This was not due to being able to keep his face neutral no matter what, but rather because he usually reacted to everything in the same way: with a permanent scowl. There were some exceptions, such as when he was taken by surprise(which never happened. He was the Uchiha prodigy, after all), but overall, his emotional state was remarkably hard to read by virtue of sheer pessimism.

So it was that Sakura was unable to notice the warning look that she was being given right now. Her only thoughts now were on the familiar subject of romance involving Sasuke. They were alone. No-one was going to bother them, but Naruto could return at any time. If she was going to gain Sasuke's acceptance... It had to be now!

"But, Sasuke-kun... Forget about that annoying guy. I don't care about him. I don't care about anything else... I just..." She took a deep breath, "I just want you to recognise me. That's all I want. All I ever wanted. Please, Sasuke-kun!" There was silence following Sakura's confession. It stretched.

Finally, Sasuke stood up.

He walked away.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" He stopped. Without even looking at her, he spoke over his shoulder. Just three words.

"You are..."

Pretty. Helpful. Good-looking. Please, any of those. Just acknowledge me, Sasuke-kun!

"...annoying."

* * *

><p>Naruto was finished with his trash duty and had begun to walk back to where his new team was. He was idly wondering just what the two of them had spoken of in his absence, when Sasuke stalked past, his casual slouch perfected, his arrogant scowl firmly in place.<p>

"Oi, Sasuke! So, what did you and..." He walked past without saying anything, "...Sakura talk... about..." Naruto trailed off as Sasuke brushed him off effortlessly.

Fine. Ignore me, you bastard. You can't do that forever.

Naruto spun on his heel and resumed walking back to where Sakura presumably was.

Naruto came across Sakura looking unexpectedly downcast, considering that she had just received something that most of the girls in their class would kill for: five minutes alone with Sasuke.

Naruto sighed. It seemed that either Sasuke had done something to shoot down her aspirations, or she just hadn't even spoken to him and was now berating herself for it.

Naruto hoped it to be the former, though not out of spite or jealousy. If Sakura now had a good idea of what Sasuke was like – the real Sasuke, not the idealised image that everyone in the village seemed to have – then she would either start to focus on her training, or she would simply try harder to impress him... by focusing on her training.

She still didn't like Naruto, though. That was something he now intended to remedy.

Sakura, for her part, was kneeling on the rooftop where Sasuke had left her. Thinking over what he had said in response to her opinion of Naruto...

_You are... annoying._ It wasn't a pleasant feeling, she thought. Having the person you admire most just dismiss you like that... Like you were beneath them...

Like she had done to Naruto whenever he had asked her out.

Ah. Yes, like that.

Sakura felt like kicking herself. She really wasn't a nice person. She had constantly dismissed Naruto just because she was too busy looking at Sasuke. She hadn't given it any thought, since he just kept coming back and back again and never stopped asking.

No, that wasn't true. He'd given up about a year ago, hadn't he? She'd barely noticed. Well... that was then, this is now. Maybe... maybe she could start being a nicer person. Starting now.

"All right. I'm a new person, starting today."

"Really? What kind of person are you now, Sakura?"

"I'm... a nicer person... I'm someone who won't treat someone like dirt just for talking to me." Her head jerked up. Wait.

"Then do your best, Sakura." Sakura spun around. When had Naruto...? "Changing yourself is hard, but no matter what happens, never forget the person who you want to be." He was smiling warmly, and those words... he meant what he was saying. Sakura smiled back. "Well, shall we go back, teammate?"

* * *

><p>Over the course of the afternoon, various jounin showed up to collect their new genin teams. Kurenai arrived for Team Eight earliest, while of the other jounin, Asuma took Team Ten last.<p>

Not counting one Team Seven.

Sasuke sat quietly, brooding. He was good at that, brooding. Kami knows, he had enough practice at it.

Sakura was not sitting as close to him as she could. She had been, but for one seat, but she had stood and started grumbling about late jounin about three hours ago. She was now pacing, and looking back and forth between the clock and the door.

Naruto was sitting, bored, with his head resting on his arms. He knew that their jounin-sensei was going to be late. He also knew why he did so, and just how late he was going to be.

That didn't make it any less annoying, however. He glanced at the clock. It was two minutes past five. His stomach grumbled, and he patted it fondly. I know, buddy, I know...

He fingered a cup ramen in his equipment pouch, before remembering that he had no hot water.

An idea struck him, a possible way to get Team Seven to bond. Granted, the last one hadn't worked very well, but...

Sasuke watched Naruto as he stood up, and started walking. He stopped in front of Sasuke. Had Naruto noticed that he was observing him?

"Oi, Sasuke."

"What?" The young scion demanded.

"You can use katon techniques, right?"

Sasuke blinked. Of course he could. Overbearing social stigma aside, an Uchiha couldn't rightfully call themselves an Uchiha if they couldn't use katon ninjutsu. Naruto pulled out a brown scroll and unsealed a bottle of water and a copper kettle. "Can you heat up this water for me?" For the purposes of the conversation, Sasuke ignored the casual ease with which that was done, though he certainly filed it away under 'weird crap that Naruto has pulled'.

That was a mental file that would be bursting at the seams come this time next year.

"Why would I heat up that water?"

"For ramen." Naruto's tone made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world as he pulled a cup ramen out of his equipment pouch. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched at the pedantic ease with which that question was answered.

"Why do you want to eat ramen?"

"Because lunch was five hours ago and I'm hungry."

Sasuke glanced at a clock. Huh. Five past five. Funny how the time went by when you weren't paying attention. Also, now that Naruto mentioned it... "Okay, fine." Naruto's face lit up, "But only on one condition."

"What condi-" He was interrupted by a loud growl. Sasuke's face, hidden behind his hands, reddened without fear of recrimination.

"Do... Do you have any more on you?" Naruto's fox-like grin was not well-received as he unsealed a second and third cup ramen.

* * *

><p>"And the ramen is... done!" Naruto immediately leapt for one of the three cup ramen that sat steaming on the desk. Sasuke reached for his share, if slightly more sedately, as Naruto broke his chopsticks and peeled off the lid completely. After a hurried 'Itadakimasu!' the ramen was quickly slurped down. Sasuke scoffed at such behaviour, though as he started on his own, he had to admit that Naruto knew his ramen. Sasuke had never tasted cup ramen this good. He made a mental note of the brand.<p>

As he slurped down another string of noodles, Naruto only then noticed that the third lay unclaimed. Looking up, he saw Sakura watching it hungrily, but seemed to be debating whether or not to actually eat it.

"Ne, Sakura, aren't you hungry? Lunch was five hours ago." Sakura had to catch herself from nodding in response. Remember your diet!

"N-no, I'm fine." She shook her head, "I'm not really that hungry." Her stomach disagreed.

Loudly.

Naruto was disappointed. So she was still at that stage, was she? Pointlessly dieting away in the hope that she could catch Sasuke's... He grinned. Perhaps he could use that against her.

"Oh? So, you're on a diet, then?"

She flushed brilliant red and turned to see Sasuke completely uninterested, eating his ramen with a minimum of fuss. She hissed at the blond, trying not to attract Sasuke's attention to this. "N-Naruto! You shouldn't talk about such things so openly!"

Naruto ignored her, "You know, I really don't get why some people should need to diet. It just seems silly to me. I mean, all you're doing is depriving yourself of nutrition, right?" He glanced at the unresponsive Uchiha, "Oi, Sasuke, what do you think?"

The Uchiha spared him a glare. It did not have the desired effect, however. Sasuke knew what Naruto was trying to do, and it was very likely that Naruto knew that Sasuke knew this. Still...

Sasuke's gaze flickered towards Sakura. If she could be convinced, then maybe she wouldn't be quite so useless if she absolutely had to fight.

"I think it's ridiculous. We're ninja, expected to participate in strenuous activites on a regular basis. Dieting? Pointless. If you're not burning off your dietary intake naturally, then you should be training more, not eating less." With that said, he went back to eating. Sakura stared. That was more than she'd ever heard Sasuke say in one go before. From that, she concluded that he felt... at least somewhat strongly that way. She returned her gaze to the still warm plastic container on the desk. Well, if Sasuke-kun really felt that way... and he was right, too, if you thought about it. Her stomach gurgled its assent.

...Ah, hell with it.

Naruto grinned behind his chopsticks as he watched Sakura take the ramen that was laid out for her and begin to hungrily devour it. Well, that was another silly habit he'd managed to break his teammates out of early. He was making good progress, really. Now he just had to find some way to get Sasuke to stop being such a frigid bastard, and really, things would sort themselves out until Orochimaru. He slurped down the last of his ramen and laid his chopsticks on the cup.

"Gouchisousama."

As Sasuke finished off his own ramen, he watched as Naruto took the empty and now room-temperature kettle and resealed it into a brown scroll. Laying the chopsticks on the empty cup, he decided now was as good a time as any to ask. He might even be able to get that skill as well.

"Oi, dobe."

Naruto looked up from rolling up the scroll.

"How did you do that?" At Naruto's confused expression, Sasuke considered elaborating. He pointed to the scroll in Naruto's hands, and the other genin's face lit up in realisation.

"Oh, this? It's fuuinjutsu."

Sasuke twitched, and Sakura, finished with her own ramen, spoke up in his place. "Yes, we know that, but... how do you know fuuinjutsu?" The qualifier, how he could do it at that level, hung unspoken. Naruto shrugged.

"I guess it counts as independent study? What I can do isn't really all that impressive, though. Despite what it looks like, what I can do is still just basic principles. I'd need a proper teacher, someone who knew what they were doing before I could see any progress past this level..." It was a lie, but Naruto wasn't going to share that with them. So long as the basics were known, it was entirely possible to advance without a teacher.

You just needed to experiment.

A lot.

He cringed internally, remembering his attempts to 'improve' on the standard exploding tag in the 'future'. Hinata had been very close to making him swear off fuuinjutsu completely.

"So, this is just basics?"

"More or less. You'd still need a basic understanding of fuuinjutsu, but yeah, using these things is pretty easy. I mean, I've got three more."

Both of them were incredulous. Four? "Naruto, why do you need four of them?"

"I don't. But they do come in handy for fieldwork. Look, see?" He pulled out three scrolls to join the brown still in his hand. There were two red and one blue. "The brown one's got field survival gear, the blue's got first aid equipment, and the reds have got lots and lots of kunai and shuriken, just in case I run out."

Sasuke nodded. He could see the logic behind having such supplies, but having four sealing scrolls just for that seemed a bit extravagant. "They must have cost quite a bit."

"Not really. I made them myself."

Sasuke blinked, and Sakura took up the slack.

"So, even making them is just basic fuuinjutsu?"

Using them? Yes. Making them? Oh hell no. It took Naruto months to figure out how to make these. Where the hell was a distraction when you needed one?

"Well..." The door slid open as he was about to answer. Saved!

* * *

><p>Kakashi watched the three genin sat in front of him on the rooftop. The pink-haired girl was watching the Uchiha out of the corner of her eye, while the Uchiha was trying to ignore her. He was succeeding quite well, come to think of it. Meanwhile, Naruto was simply sitting with a blank look on his face. Why was he trying to keep his emotional state hidden? Well, time to get on with it. It should be interesting to see how they see themselves.<p>

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?"

Well, I guess that's a fair question...

"What you like, hate, your dreams and hobbies." Kakashi spread his arms as he spoke, a vague 'you know?' gesture. "Something like that."

The blond spoke up now, "Then, why don't you introduce yourself first, sensei?"

"Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream..." He trailed off. "I have a few hobbies." He rather enjoyed the perturbed look on the girl's face. But... why was the blond contemplative?

"Hatake Kakashi... Hatake Kakashi... Kakashi... AH!" He leapt to his feet and pointed at the jounin. "Dai-gejimayu-sensei talks about you all the time! You're his 'eternal rival' or something!"

Kakashi blinked. Eternal rival? That sounded suspiciously like Gai. If it was, the name was certainly appropriate. But... sensei?

"Well, I guess we start with you..."

Naruto grinned. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like people who don't rely on power that isn't their own, and I don't like people who expect to be recognised for things they never did. My hobbies are enjoying ramen, and training! My dream... is to become strong enough to protect everyone I care about, and then become the Hokage!"

Hm. He grew up in an interesting way - I wonder if he's talking about the Kyuubi with that 'like' of his? "Right, next."

"I'm Haruno Sakura! I like... well... The person I like is..." She glanced at Sasuke, and Naruto sighed internally. Well, it was stupid to think she'd grow out of her fangirling in just one day, really. Sasuke didn't even blink at the attention, his stare boring into Kakashi. It was easy to guess what his thoughts were at this point: Finally, a jounin-sensei, now I can become powerful enough to kill Itachi. Sakura continued with her self-introduction. "My hobby is..." She paused. Her hobby... did she even have one beyond Sasuke-kun? "Well, my dream is to..." another glance at Sasuke, "to become someone that the person I like can like back..."

Oh, good grief... "And? What do you hate?"

She had to think about that one. Her requisite answer of 'Naruto' was no longer valid. He was a better person than she'd given him credit for. "Hm... Ino."

Girls her age are more interested in romance than ninjutsu. Ah, but the Uchiha was next. This should be interesting. "Last guy."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and there aren't many things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and... to kill a certain person."

Silence greeted that statement as all present digested that. Two people knew who he was talking about, while the other simply interpreted it as badass.

Just as I thought... Kakashi mused. Naruto was simply forlorn. Both were thinking the same thing as Kakashi decided to move on.

Itachi, Itachi, you bastard. You did this to your own little brother?

"Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. We're going to begin a mission, starting tomorrow."

Sakura put her hand up. "What kind of mission, sensei?"

"First, we're going to do something that we four can do."

"What kind of mission?" Naruto didn't put his hand up, but asked his question nonetheless.

"Survival training."

"Why are we going to train when it's a mission?" Sakura complained, "We had plenty of training at the academy."

"This is no ordinary training."

"So, then, what kind of training is it?" Naruto couldn't help an ever-so-slight sarcastic tone tinting his speech. Whether or not Kakashi noticed it, however...

Damn that mask!

Kakashi started chuckling to himself. Naruto had to fight not to roll his eyes at the insincere sadism it conveyed. The first time around, it had been intimidating when put in context, but now? Kakashi needed acting lessons. He was almost as big a ham as Gai. The other two were understandably annoyed by the apparent incongruity of the meeting.

"What's so funny, sensei?" Still giggling a bit, Kakashi made a show of forcing himself to answer. Naruto twitched. Enough theatrics and get on with it, damn it.

"Well, you see, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised." The laughter stopped as abruptly as Kakashi's tone turned menacing, "Out of the 27 graduates, only nine are going to become genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. In other words, this training is going to be an extremely hard test with a dropout rate of sixty-six percent." Kakashi grinned as his words had the desired effect on his new team. Sasuke glared. Sakura gaped. Naruto... was picking his ear? Arrogant little brat, this one. "See, see? You three are surprised!"

"Ne, sensei... If that's the case, then what was the final exam for?"

"You sound bored, Naruto-kun. I hope you don't find what I'm telling you boring..."

"Peh. It's not like it matters. Whatever this test is," he grinned, "I'm going to pass it."

Really? Now is that confidence or just stupidity...? Well, whatever.

"Is that so? Well, anyway, that exam was just to find those who have a chance of becoming genin. I am to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your equipment and meet at five A.M!" Kakashi watched as the young genin got themselves psyched up for the test tomorrow. Even Sasuke was visibly shaking. Except for Naruto. Where did that confidence come from, to not even be sweating over the prospect? "Meeting adjourned! Oh, and don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up if you do."

* * *

><p>At 5AM, Team Seven staggered, half-awake, onto the training ground that Kakashi had designated. They greeted each other with the typical lethargy one could expect from having to be up that early. They milled about, trying to wake up a bit before their sensei arrived.<p>

Two hours later, Naruto was annoyed, Sakura was pissed, and Sasuke was just as stoically bitter as he always was. Naruto knew how this went, even if the other two were only starting to get an idea of just how consistently late Kakashi could be. Bored to the teeth, Naruto stood up.

"Oi, Sasuke."

"What?" Sasuke had a way of making questions sound like demands.

"Want to spar?"

An eyebrow was raised sardonically. "You want to spar."

"Well, I figure that if yesterday was any example, we're going to be here until ten." He shrugged. "We may as well get something out of it."

Sasuke had to admit that he was beginning to suspect the same thing. There was also the matter of curiosity regarding Naruto's real ability. If his expertise with fuuinjutsu was any indication, then Naruto had been holding himself back in class. And that was just unacceptable. If Sasuke was going to be the best, then he had to prove that by facing others at their best. That someone would hold back against him skewed the whole thing. Not to mention that Sasuke had done some investigation. It hadn't been very hard to find out who Naruto meant when he said "super bushy brows-sensei". Maito Gai's... exuberance... was infamous in Konoha. His skill with taijutsu had just added fuel to the fire that was Sasuke's suspicions: If Naruto was learning from him, then surely he had to be better at taijutsu than his Academy performance led people to believe. And if Naruto was as good as Sasuke thought, then why couldn't he learn from that same teacher as well? Yes. Power was everything. Itachi had to die, and as soon as possible.

"All right, then. Let's spar." Naruto just grinned in response as they both dropped their packs on the ground. Then they dropped into starting stances, and little alarm bells went off in Sasuke's head. Naruto's form in the Academy had been sloppy, impatient, and easy to read, if difficult to ascertain what style he used. This, however, was textbook dragon-style, with a hint of something else mixed in... Sasuke shook off his apprehensions. His own tiger-style, while not favoring any one attribute above others, was insurmountable. No matter what tricks Naruto had, he wouldn't win.

"Let's go!" Sasuke smirked at that outburst. He was still impatient. Honestly, did he really think-

Fast! was Sasuke's next thought as Naruto leapt to the offensive. He moved back, giving ground until he could break Naruto's momentum. Unpredictable, too, he realised. Naruto seemed to abandon some blows when he was halfway through based purely on a whim. That he originally intended them as serious blows meant the body language that typically preceded a feint was absent until it was too late. Catching a strike aimed at his left, Sasuke shot his knee at Naruto's solar plexus. The blond twisted at an odd angle, almost dislocating his own shoulder, to dodge, then used that odd positioning to break Sasuke's grip on his arm, before quickly twisting around again and launching a roundhouse kick at Sasuke's head.

The blow sailed harmlessly overhead as Sasuke rolled forward and away, hoping to get distance for an attack of his own. He didn't get the time, though, as Naruto used the leg that had just kicked to jump towards where Sasuke was just turning to face him again.

What followed was an exchange of punches and kicks, neither gaining any advantage, focusing only on trying to keep the other off-balance long enough for a more powerful blow. Then, Sasuke successfully got under Naruto's guard to score a hit on his shoulder. The hit threw him off, just enough, to allow time for a sweeping kick to the legs. Naruto jumped, and blocked the uppercut waiting on the way down. They backed off from each other then, both needing a breather.

Sasuke glared as he watched Naruto recover in just three deep breaths, while he was still panting heavily from that. Was he still holding back? Even after fighting him to a standstill, was Naruto still holding back? No... no, it was just that weird stamina of his. He'd always been able to recover quickly. Hm. Just how long could he last, Sasuke wondered. They had about two-and-a-half hours to kill time in. He smirked as Naruto came at him again.

It was around ten-ish, when Kakashi finally proceeded to the training grounds unhurriedly. Maybe he'd use the cat excuse. That was one he hadn't used in a while. His new team probably wouldn't be very happy with him for this, but... well, every ninja needed to know how to be patient. Really, he was just helping them along with that. His constant tardiness was just another form of training for his... Oh kami... He was falling into the trap that was 'everything equals training'. He was turning into Gai.

Right, his tardiness was not patience training for everyone around him; it was just him being a dick. Okay? Okay.

"Besides, it's not like they'll try to kill one another if I'm not around." Kakashi then walked into the clearing that was the center of the training ground and found Sasuke and Naruto trying to kill one another, while Sakura watched from the sidelines.

Why did I say it? Why did I even think it? He was about to step in when Sakura noticed him.

"Ah, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei's here!" The two of them looked at him and stopped their fight. Belatedly, Kakashi realised that it was just a spar. A very heated spar, but a spar nonetheless, without killing intent. Sasuke was still breathing rather heavily, while Naruto just stretched a bit, took a few deep breaths and he was fine. Sasuke's breathing calmed down after a few minutes.

It's one way to pass time, I suppose. Although, I wonder if I'm going to come across something similar every time I leave them alone? Kakashi coughed before continuing his usual routine.

"Well, sorry I'm late. See, a black cat crossed my path, so..." He trailed off. They weren't buying it. "Well, you three seem to have kept yourselves occupied even without me, so, let's move on." There was a tree stump off to his right, where he set down an alarm clock and primed it. "Alarm set at twelve P.M." He turned around, decidedly pleased with the stupefied expressions that had got. Even from the cold Uchiha. They didn't go away when he pulled a pair of bells from out of nowhere. He dangled them from his forefinger and thumb, making sure to elicit a little jingle from both of them. He watched Naruto tense at the sight.

Oh? Does he already know what's coming?

"Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me." He jingled them again, just to add emphasis. "Whoever can't gets no lunch. I'm going to tie you there, and eat lunch in front of you." He indicated the three wooden posts in the middle of the clearing, calmly ignoring Sakura's sound of protest at the prospect of no lunch. Kakashi grinned as they worked out why he had told them not to eat breakfast, grateful for the mask he was wearing. Oh, these three were far too much fun to tease. Then along came the question he was waiting for them to ask.

"Wait... then why are there only two bells?" Of course the book-smart kunoichi would work it out first.

Kakashi chuckled a bit before answering, an unnerving smile on his face, the kind that he knew people could see beneath his mask. "Since there's only two bells, at least one person will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail since he failed to complete the mission. They will then be sent back to the Academy. It might be just one, or all three." The smile disappeared as he took note of their faces now. Determined. Ruthless.

Damn. They're already thinking only of themselves in this test. I had such hopes for the blond kid, too. Going by his introduction, I thought maybe he understood... Well, anyway, the test isn't over yet. They might surprise me.

"You can use shuriken and kunai. You won't be able to get this unless you have the intent to kill."

"But that's too dangerous, sensei!" Kakashi ignored that little gem from Sakura. For such an intelligent girl, she certainly had a talent for missing the point. He took in the genin assembled before him. Well, they seemed eager enough.

"We're going to begin after I say, 'Ready, start'. Ready?

"START!"

* * *

><p>A basic skill for a ninja is to conceal your presence and hide.<p>

Kakashi stood in the clearing, taking note of his genin's positions. Everyone seemed to have hidden themselves well. Certainly, he doubted anyone of their respective levels less than a tracking specialist would notice them. Sakura under that bush, Sasuke up in that tree, Naruto... standing... right... in front of me. With his arms crossed and a very strange smile on his face. His stance suggested either he was completely confident about his chances, or that he simply wasn't going to try anything yet.

"Eh... Shouldn't you be hiding like the other two?"

"Nah. I figure that if you're really a jounin, you'll know where we are no matter what. Besides, I'm still waiting on something before I can make my move."

Kakashi blinked. Hell, it was his time to waste. If that's what he wanted to do, then okay. "Well, if that's the case, I hope you don't mind if I read while we wait?" He didn't even wait for a response, pulling out the second most recent Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto scowled slightly at that, but said nothing except,

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Oi, teme."

Sasuke almost jumped. What the hell was that dobe doing? Kakashi was going to... wait. Sasuke looked back at where Naruto was standing in the clearing. Then he looked at the Naruto who was next to him on the branch. Bunshin? His eyes tracked the shadow that both Narutos left on the branch and the ground, respectively. No. Kage bunshin? When did he learn...? "Sasuke...!"

"What?" He hissed.

"We need to work together. All of us, need to work as team."

"There's only two bells."

"And we're only genin. Do you really think we're being expected to snag those bells by ourselves? From a goddamn jounin? I have a plan. We're a team, Sasuke, we need to act like it." Sasuke frowned at that. He had a point. But still, there were only two bells. Someone was going to be stuck with the short end of the stick. Moreover, he was not going to work with someone like Naruto. He was... slightly better than Sasuke had given him credit for initially, but the fact remained that an avenger's path was a solitary one. He would get those bells alone or not at all.

"Go away. If you really have a plan, then come and talk to me again when you have a bell."

Naruto sighed, "Somehow, I thought you'd say that. Once I get a bell, meet me about five hundred metres east." and with that, left him on his branch. It dispelled itself some ways away. Sasuke returned his attention to where Naruto suddenly stiffened, then shook his head sadly.

Sakura was watching the tableau with trepidation. Naruto, that idiot! He was standing there in full view of Kakashi-sensei! What was he trying to accomplish?

"Yo, Sakura." She clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from yelping out loud. When had Naruto...? Bunshin? No, they were both solid, no afterimage when they moved. So... just what kind of technique was this, then? "Sakura. I know how we can get the bells. But, we need to work as a team. I'm talking to Sasuke right now, but we need to work together for this. What do you say?"

"But... there's only two bells..."

"Come on, Sakura, you're meant to be smart, so think about it! Why would he expect us, fresh genin, to be able to snag bells from a jounin on our own?"

He wouldn't. "So, it's actually another test entirely?"

He nodded, then stiffened as feedback reached him from his other clone. "Damn. I should have guessed he'd force me to try this alone. Once I get a bell, meet me about five hundred metres away, east." He moved away, quietly as he could, before dispelling. Sakura watched as Naruto was shaking his head in front of Kakashi-sensei.

Kakashi face tilted up from his page. It was no great tragedy, nothing interesting was happening just yet. "Hm? Is something wrong, Naruto?"

"Ah, it's just that I got a stupid answer from someone, so now I'm gonna have to do something stupid to convince them."

"Oh? What kind of answer?" Naruto's eyes glinted before he brought his hands together for the kage bunshin seal.

"This one! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Eight copies appeared and ran towards Kakashi.

Oh? Kage bunshin? So he can use that, can he? Still, they shouldn't be much use. Numbers can overwhelm an opponent, but not like this.

The kage bunshin all surrounded him, but Kakashi wasn't worried. Eight was no problem at all.

"Okay, then. Your first lesson from me, Shinobi tactical know-how number one, taijutsu."

"ATTACK!" The eight copies leapt at Kakashi at the same time.

Idiot. Eight at once are just going to get in the way... hm? He noticed the grins that suddenly appeared on the clones' faces. Okay, what is he planning n-

"Bunshin Daibakuha!"

"Shimat-!" The clones all exploded in close proximity to Kakashi, while the real Naruto laughed.

"Didn't see that coming, did ya!" He sniffed, then paused as the smoke cleared to reveal a patch now devoid of grass... and Kakashi. "Che... he escaped..." Looking around for any trace of Kakashi's location, he spotted a bell at the base of a nearby tree. "Eh? A bell?"

Oh, please. Like this wasn't a trap... Naruto then reminded himself that he fell for said trap last time. He grinned. Okay, let's play along. He ran up to where the bell was sitting, while Sasuke was watching in astonishment. He just pulled a trick like that on a jounin and now he's walking right into a trap? What the hell is wrong with this idiot?

"Hee. He must have been in a hurry if he dropped a b-" The feeling of rope tightening against his ankles was immediately followed by the unsettling feeling of hanging upside down. Naruto crossed his arms as he bounced slightly on the rope. He'd sprung the first trap, which meant that any second now...

"That was very clever of you, Naruto. But they weren't close enough to hurt me when they exploded, and I was able to make use of their smokescreen to escape." He picked up the bell. "Use your techniques only after thinking carefully. That's why it was used to your disadvantage." He dangled the bell just out of Naruto's reach. "And... don't fall for such an obvious trap, baka."

Naruto responded in an unexpected way. He grinned. "Ne, Sensei, what do you think is the fastest way to disarm a trap?"

"Hm? Well, there's the textbook Academy answer, but... I assume you have a different opinion?"

"Of course. The fastest way to disarm a trap..." The kage bunshin hanging from the tree disappeared in a puff of smoke, as Naruto leapt out of the bushes to the left,

"...is to send a kage bunshin to set it off first!" The widened eye on his sensei's face was perfect. Kakashi's mind was putting things together even as he pulled his hand with the bell up and out of reach.

He drew attention to one of his clones and made us think it was real, then used daibakuha to explode all of his clones but that one while it acted as the ringleader, reinforcing the idea that it was the real Naruto. So when that bunshin fell into the trap, I let my guard down... But how did he manage to hide from me in the first place? A quick jingle at his belt reminded him that he had more than one bell to steal, as Naruto's hand closed over the bell there and pulled it away.

Even now that he's revealed himself, he's managed to keep his true objective hidden until it's achieved! Kakashi was stunned. This was the dead last? But he hadn't escaped with the bell just yet. Bell in hand, Naruto was still moving in mid-air in front of Kakashi, in easy reach. The jounin quickly caught him, but before he could retrieve the bell, Naruto twisted in his grasp, throwing the bell back into the bush he'd come from, before dispelling at close range to form an effective, if temporary, smokescreen.

Another kage bunshin! Kakashi looked up just in time to see five familiar orange jumpsuits dart into the foliage surrounding the clearing.

More kage bunshin... as a distraction. I have a one in five chance of catching the real one if I do go chase them. Kakashi's eye narrowed as he felt Sasuke and Sakura pull away from the clearing as well. It seems I haven't been taking Naruto seriously enough. I've been treating him like a fresh genin, but that strategy was worthy of a seasoned chuunin. It was an odd mix of pride and irritation that joined his next thought.

I underestimated him.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was moving quickly towards the position Naruto had specified, seething. We need to work together to get a bell, he said. We don't stand a chance on our own, he said. Then he goes and pulls that...!<p>

He dropped into a smaller clearing where an orange jumpsuit could be seen waiting.

"Oi, Sasuke! So, you decided to see if my plan was worth anything after all." Sasuke was openly glaring at the blond. "What?"

"We're only genin. We need to work as a team to snag a bell from a jounin." Sasuke's fists clenched. "Liar."

"In case you didn't notice, I was working as a team. Kage bunshin no jutsu, the one-man army." Naruto smiled, but that quickly faded. "But that only worked because he underestimated me. He won't do it again. In fact," He grinned widely this time, his prankster's face in full force. "My plan kinda counts on that."

Sasuke's glare was gone, to be replaced by a confused look. What Naruto said about Kakashi underestimating him was true, and Sasuke had fallen into that trap as well. That Naruto could foresee that Kakashi would lay a trap and then have enough foresight to prepare his own counter-trap... Sasuke had not expected that level of planning from the dead last in the class.

Both turned to face Sakura's approach at the same time. She arrived shortly after that, with a petulant look directed at Naruto.

"We need to work as a team, huh?"

Naruto sighed, "Like I told Sasuke, that only worked because Kakashi-sensei underestimated me. It won't work again. In fact, I only tried that in the first place because I'm pretty sure that Sasuke-yaro wouldn't listen to me unless I had this." He pulled out the stolen bell and jingled it to remind them that, yes, he had a bell.

Sasuke twitched at the sight of it, his right hand jerking towards his kunai pouch almost reflexively.

If he beat Naruto here, he could obtain a bell and pass this test no matter what, but... but he couldn't say that he gained that bell with his own power. He would be no closer to killing Itachi if he abandoned his pride and resorted to petty thievery.

Run away, run away... live in an unsightly manner...

Sasuke shook his head vigorously. No. Stealing won't bring me the power I need to kill you.

"Well, dobe, you said you had a plan. What is it?"

"Yeah, I have a plan, but it's reliant on three things. First, we need to have good timing. We need to work together if this plan has a hope of succeeding. Can we do that?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura. His annoying fangirl, possibly chief among them. As far as he knew, she had few real combat-ready abilities. She was intelligent, if her scores were anything to go by. Sakura, for her part, wanted to immediately say yes. She could gladly work with Sasuke. She then met the Uchiha's gaze and realised that, no, she wasn't immediately able to say so. She would gladly follow his orders, but would she take his advice? His help? They then both looked to Naruto. The blond, where previously unpredictable by way of his loud, trickster's personality, was now so by virtue of not knowing what hidden skill he would reveal next. That same unpredictability was a slight veil to his teammates. Could Naruto be trusted? Could he be trusted to trust them?

They both nodded to themselves before all nodded to each other. The silent agreement in that small clearing was a seemingly small step, but it was a huge change from how they had used to be at this point. Sasuke was starting to open up, granting trust, and no small measure of it, to others. Sakura, aware of her own flaws and what she needed to do to correct them, and now taking her first step along the new path she had chosen for herself. Naruto knew this, and was proud of both his old friends for having that capacity to change so early.

"Second. Kakashi-sensei needs to be focused on me as the ringleader. He needs to identify me as the greatest threat, as someone to be taken out of the equation first." That was something from Shikamaru's helpful little tips on strategy. An obvious, lesser threat could hide a greater one. That this principle of misdirection was present in basic shinobi strategy, yet could be carried through to be applied to a campaign spanning years had been impressive enough for Naruto to take it to heart.

"And third... Sakura, do you know any techniques for distracting people?"

"Um... no. No, wait..." She flushed pink. "...Yes."

Both teammates noticed this, but only Naruto mentioned it. "What's wrong?"

"Well, nothing, it's a genjutsu."

"What's wrong with genjutsu?"

"Nothing, its just that its the name, is all... I just found it in a library scroll, and I thought it was a good technique, but the name... you're going to think-"

"Sakura. What's the genjutsu called?"

She told them. Sasuke smirked. Naruto grinned.

"Sakura, that's perfect." His grin faded as he launched into his explanation. "All right, here's my plan..."

* * *

><p>Kakashi was on full guard back in the original clearing. The clock was in full view, and there were about ten minutes remaining. The remaining bell jingled on his belt, lonely without its partner.<p>

"Hm... Apart from Naruto's success earlier, they're taking their time getting the bells." He checked the clock once more. Eight minutes. "I wonder if they're actually going to try at all...hm?" Pink petals were drifting across his field of vision. He felt... relaxed, too... at peace. All was right with the world, surely? He blinked, once, twice, a few times... the training ground changed into a wide, lush field, with a single, towering tree standing behind Kakashi. He looked up, to find that it was a sakura tree in full bloom, its petals drifting down to obscure his vision. Through the gentle haze of peaceful feelings, he recognised what was happening.

"Shinobi tactical know-how number two, genjutsu. Haru no Sakura no Jutsu. Heh... Very fitting."

So she's planning to sneak up and snag the bell while I'm under the genjutsu, ne? Well, I think that's enough time to let her think I'm under.

He brought his hand up in a lazy half-seal. "Kai." The scene dissolved away, the petals disappearing last of all, only to reveal a triumphant blond in orange, his hands set in the dragon-seal.

"Fuuton: Kazerou no Jutsu!" A fierce, chakra-laced whirlwind erupted around Kakashi, pinning him in place. The petals scattered rather quickly after that, though Kakashi did notice that the technique was fairly localised. No doubt intended to only catch one person. So, the genjutsu was only meant to give Naruto enough time to get close enough to use this technique. Wind prison technique. Adequately named. Kakashi could still move, but he couldn't take one step in any direction for sharp, chakra-laced wind. Still, even if he was trapped, the technique was a double-edged sword in this case. He couldn't leave the technique, but neither could anyone reach him through the cutting winds. Just what was this supposed to accomplish?

"Sasuke! Now!"

"Right!" Kakashi turned his head to see Sasuke leaping out of the foliage behind him, his hands already blazing through seals. The thing was, though... Kakashi recognised those seals.

Oh, crap. Kakashi's mind was whirling even as his hands started moving through the seals for the ninjutsu he needed to escape. Basic chakra affinity reactions. Fire a katon ninjutsu into a fuuton ninjutsu, even if you aren't trying to achieve synchronisation, and you get a big, nasty beefed-up katon ninjutsu.

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke landed, and the fireball flew forward to strike the localised squall. The effect was almost instantaneous as the flames, fanned by the wind, roared with sudden intensity and heat, the small whirlwind transformed into a hot, bright, firestorm. Sasuke, barely eight feet away, felt the need to shield his face from the heat, but only did so once he stopped feeding his chakra into the burning maelstrom. As the flames faded, Naruto slowly came into view on the other side.

"Did... did we get him?" As the flames dissipated completely, the state of things where the combination technique had been was made apparent. The ground was still glowing faintly, but there was no sign of Kakashi or the bell. The only trace of any life was a small crater of glowing earth where Kakashi had been. The jounin's disembodied voice echoed slightly over the training field. "Shinobi tactical know-how number three, ninjutsu."

Naruto quickly realised what that meant. "Crap! Both of you, fall back! Quick, back int-"

"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshuu!" Kakashi's hands burst from the ground, wrapping around Naruto's ankles and pulling him into the ground even as Kakashi's technique propelled him upwards. In less than a second, Naruto was going to be buried up to his neck. Less than a second was all the time he needed, though.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A clone burst into existence to Kakashi's side, grabbing the bell while the jounin's hands were occupied with sending the other Naruto underground. Kakashi quickly tested a theory. Increasing the force behind his grip, he broke one of Naruto's ankles. The kage bunshin he had grabbed erupted into smoke. The second kage bunshin, bell in hand, threw that bell through the smokescreen in Sasuke's general direction before dispelling itself. Before Kakashi could regain adequate visibility, Sasuke was already nowhere in sight, the bell with him.

Behind him, the alarm signalling noon went off.

They... they worked together. They worked together to get a bell. I don't believe it. They actually demonstrated satisfactory teamwork in an oppressive situation. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. But just working together to get a bell wasn't the real test. Let's see how they've distributed those bells.

Kakashi called out to the foliage, where he could tell the genin were all hiding. "All right, it's noon. Come on, the test is over. Let's see your results." The genin walked back into the clearing, hands hidden. Sakura held her hands behind her back and smiling in what she likely thought was a cute manner. Sasuke's hands were kept in his pockets, his poker face up and frowning. Naruto had his hands up and behind his head, his grin firmly in place. "So? Have you decided on who's going back to the Academy?" Sasuke's poker face changed into a confident smirk as he withdrew his hands from his pockets, holding up a bell for all to see.

Unsurprising. I don't think he'd give up that ambition for anything.

"Who else?"

Naruto's grin bared some teeth as he brought his hands away from his head to show the second bell.

That's odd. I would have thought he'd be yelling and screaming at me to make the others pass, and I'm sure he was the one who convinced them to work together.

"Well, then, it looks like Sakura is..."

The team's kunoichi had brought her hand up from behind her back to reveal that... she had a bell too.

Three bells. Interesting. Obviously one is a henge'd stone or leaf, but I don't think anyone's ever tried this before.

"Explain. Now. There are only two bells. One of you will be going back to the Academy." He paused, his eye narrowing. "Actually, for trying this stunt, I think I could send all three of you back. This is a severe breach of the rules."

Naruto just snickered. He actually snickered in response.

"What's so funny, Naruto?"

"Well..." He caught his breath, "That is the explanation. We are a team."

Sasuke voiced his assent, "We are a three-man cell."

Sakura chipped in then, "We are three hearts as one."

They shared a glance, then all three spoke up. "We are Team Seven. Either all of us pass or none do."

They're saying the right words. I wonder if they really mean it, though.

"Then what happens next is obvious. You've the broken the rules, all three of you. Ninja who do that are considered scum."

"So what?"

"If you can't rely on your team, what the hell use are rules?" Kakashi smiled. They understood.

"However. Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. Team Seven passes."

* * *

><p>Kurenai watched patiently as Kiba and Shino sparred off against each other. Hinata stood next to her as her new teammates did their best to bruise one another. She compared their technique to what she remembered of them at this age, as well as what she had seen in the Academy. Kiba, as always, fought by pushing himself to the limit as soon as he could, hoping to overwhelm his opponent before they could seriously fight back. He quickly burned out his stamina reserves fighting like that, but apparently he thought it worth the risk, in order to remove the enemy quickly so that the mission could continue unobstructed. It wasn't that he didn't have stamina, Hinata knew from experience that he was an excellent long-distance runner. He just chose to burn it all at once when fighting. Other than that, his form was good, he could improvise well if a strike missed... taijutsu was not his weakness, not by a long shot. His reliance on soldier pills after burning everything he had was.<p>

Shino, on the other hand, fought carefully and deliberately. Every strike was planned, every block calculated to drive his opponent into a favorable position. This was Shino's strength: outmanoeuvring and outlasting his opponent until they collapsed. Fighting with taijutsu, and taijutsu only, immediately put him at a disadvantage. True, he had learned what had been taught at the Academy, and his own bird-style, intended to keep the enemy at arms' length until an offensive ninjutsu could be used, was flawless, each stance worthy of a place in the textbook. That was the problem, though. His form was perfectly textbook. No imagination or deviation at all. He had learned what was taught, and learnt it well, but he had not ventured outside of that. His reliance on his kikai to help him outlast his opponent was stifling. His movement was quick, yes, but awkward. He still thought of each stance, strike and block as independent of each other. Hinata frowned slightly. Her teammates had been as brothers to her, looking out for her well-being and personal growth. When they had learned that she and Naruto had started dating, they'd even joined Neji in delivering the typical "big brother" speech to Naruto. They all trusted him, yes, but he really had been so clueless back then. She cared about them too, and she cared about their safety. She wanted these weaknesses in their techniques ironed out, and quickly.

Kurenai noticed Hinata's change in expression. Despite the apparent greater confidence she had, the girl's timidity was still present, then. She seemed worried, watching her new teammates sparring. Was it that they might be injured or that she was about to face them?

"All right, you two, that's enough." Kurenai spoke loudly to make sure the two genin could hear her. Kiba turned around, panting heavily, and Akamaru dashed forward from where he was heeling next to Hinata. Kiba knelt to pick him up, but Kurenai's next instruction stopped him.

"Kiba, you'll be sparring against Hinata next." Perhaps this would show him the dangers of fighting with no regard to lasting longer than the fight itself.

"Ano..."

Kurenai turned to face Hinata.

"Kiba-kun looks tired. Shouldn't you let him rest for a bit first?"

"Oh, no. Kiba needs to learn to pace himself in combat. Two fights in a row should be a good way to learn."

Kiba's protests that he couldn't rest, or possibly to the idea he needed to rest, were drowned out by his own heavy panting, while Hinata simply frowned. It was true that Kiba needed to learn to pace himself, but he was also a bit of a sore loser. If Hinata did beat him while he was tired, he would simply shrug it off, using the justification that he would have won if he wasn't tired. Granted, Kurenai would then berate him for that, saying that that was the entire point of making him fight while he was tired... but it would still take longer to sink in than if she simply beat him at his best. Ninja in the field were very rarely forced to face two opponents one after the other, that was why they operated in teams. If she could tire him past the point of exhaustion in the space of one fight, though, that would almost guarantee the message got through.

"Kurenai-sensei, aren't you doing this to get a feel for our respective abilities? How can you do that if Kiba-kun is tired?" Kurenai's questioning look was met with Hinata's question directed at Shino, "Shino-kun, you're not very tired right now, are you?"

"It would not be inconvenient if I was to spar again immediately. Why? Because I possessed foresight enough to pace myself when I sparred with Kiba."

"You... You arrogant ba-"

"Kiba. That's enough." Kiba's rebellious retort to Kurenai was cut short by her tone and expression. He'd spent enough time around female authority figures to know when not to push his luck. Kurenai looked from Hinata to Kiba, then to Shino, then back to Hinata. Was she trying to test herself? Well, there was a time and a place for such things, and it wasn't here and now. She was about to say no, when she noticed the look in Hinata's eyes. She wasn't pleading, she wasn't desperate for a chance to prove herself, instead she was... What was that? Kurenai nodded, agreeing to let Hinata fight both of her team-mates when they were well-prepared.

Shino simply stood, his stance absent, while Hinata assumed a basic Jyuuken stance after activating her Byakugan. Kurenai looked between the two genin, looking for any trace of hesitation. There wasn't any. They were both prepared to test each other as much as possible. Kurenai's order barked loudly through the clearing, and her two students began their match.

Hinata immediately rushed forwards, keeping low, eyes seeing every detail of his stance, his movements, his probable weaknesses. Shino was observant, and sneaky, while his form was as good as might be expected from a fresh genin, but he moved between stances awkwardly, and he wasn't very good at improvising taijutsu sequences. Hinata didn't let her smile show as he began blocking her strikes easily, her hands being deflected past his forearms as he made use of one of the bird-style's defensive forms. There was no chakra behind her attacks, she wasn't trying to inflict lasting injury, but there was still the physical power to take into account. She suddenly shifted stances, moving into a new form and slipping around to attack from the side. Shino hesitated, his mind already processing this and calculating which of the forms he knew could best counter his opponent's new strategy. He settled on the appropriate form just in time, hastily bringing his left arm up to parry her first blow. The next strike was dealt with much better than the first, his current form's stances and counters coming to mind easily, but Hinata switched stances once again, redirecting her focus of attack from that side to his torso and chest.

The rest of the fight followed in the same pattern, as Hinata attacked constantly, weaving around Shino's defences and never attacking from the same angle for more than a few blows, never giving Shino a chance to mentally adjust to the situation. Whilst he could defend himself adequately if she would stick to one form, his mind couldn't process her rapid and unpredictable movements and then formulate a strategy quickly enough to break her momentum. Had he been skilled enough to simply react on instinct, instead of hesitating before his next move, perhaps he may have had a chance.

Once again, Hinata shifted to a new attack pattern, and the mentally exhausted Shino couldn't recall an appropriate counter-form quickly enough to stop her blow to his diaphragm. Shino needed distance from his opponent. Why? Because he needed a chance to get his second wind, as well as formulate a suitable strategy to counter the Hyuuga heiress'. Hinata was displaying a mastery of taijutsu that Shino had not anticipated from the withdrawn girl. She changed form again, this time attacking high. Shino didn't hesitate to find the appropriate form, his arm instead coming up to block his face by reflex, with no semblance of training. Her hand brushed over his arm, and her entire body followed as she rolled past him. By the time he had half-turned to continue the fight, she was already on her feet and attacking again, her strike aimed at his face once more. Shino froze this time, and Hinata pulled the blow, barely an inch from his face.

A bead of sweat slowly ran down Shino's face.

"And stop there!" At Kurenai's command, Shino let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and began breathing heavily, the fatigue that fight had caused catching up to him. Hinata was barely winded, despite that relentless onslaught. No, she had just controlled her breathing the entire time. Had she really been able to press him so much that he had forgotten his own breathing techniques? She turned to him, a demure smile on her face, and bowed, her hands held together at the hem of her jacket.

"Thank you for the match, Shino-kun."

It was hardly worthy of being called a match, Shino thought, but regardless, her etiquette and demeanour, especially in the face of such a dominating performance, was at least soothing to one's ego. Either that or just plain jarring to consider how such a polite young girl could have fought like that.

"And... thank you as well, Hinata-san." The two of them walked over to where Kurenai, Kiba and Akamaru were watching, the latter two slack-jawed in amazement. Kiba let out a low whistle. It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for...

"Well, that was... very good, Hinata." Kurenai had hesitated in calling the match because she had been equally surprised, not just by Hinata's aggression, but also by the underlying subtlety of her strategy. She had picked apart Shino's technique and then specifically fought to exploit it. If Shino was anywhere as pragmatic as he seemed to be, he would take this utter defeat to heart and train to work that weakness out of his technique. Had it been anyone else, Kurenai might have interpreted such an action as malicious, but from what she knew, Hinata simply was not the type of person to do so out of malice. Concern, maybe, but not malice. But still, where had the confidence to do so come from? This was not the same girl she had escorted to her first day at the Academy, but could someone really change that much, and that drastically? Her thoughts were interrupted by Kiba's low whistle. Impressed, was he?

He was, but he wasn't about to let it show beyond that whistle. Kiba's momentary ire towards Shino was also tempered by the crushing defeat that Hinata had just given him. So that was how a Hyuuga fought, huh? Well, it didn't matter. She was fast, if that fight was anything to go by, but Kiba was faster. He was slightly uneasy now that he knew she wasn't simply a frail little girl, but he was confident in his own taijutsu ability. Not even that stuck-up prick Sasuke could keep up with him at full speed.

"All right, let's go!" He stood up, his lost stamina from the last fight mostly recovered. The two of them walked out to the middle of the clearing per Kurenai's instruction. Hinata bowed then, her hands held at her jacket's hem again as she did.

"I look forward to our match, Kiba-kun."

"Heh. We'll see how eager you are after we're done."

She simply kept that demure smile in response to that. It was replaced by a severe look, her 'battle face', once she began the seal sequence to activate her bloodline. Byakugan flaring, Hinata bent her knees, open hands coming up in a defensive stance. Her arms were bent slightly to hold her hands closer to her body. She set her feet solidly, knowing she would be on the defensive for this fight. On the other side of the clearing, Kiba sank to all fours, his fingers splayed on the ground and legs coiled. It was a basic aggressive stance for Beast-style taijutsu, used exclusively by the Inuzuka. Kurenai glanced between the pair of them.

"Begin!"

Kiba's legs uncoiled instantly, propelling him forwards, his form blurring with his leap, sailing clean past Hinata's position without even trying to land a hit. His feet found purchase on the dry ground, and he rapidly reversed his direction, launching himself at Hinata's back. She spun to face him, her Byakugan tracking his motion flawlessly, and giving her forewarning enough to parry his first volley of strikes. Kiba pressed at her mercilessly, hammering at her defences to try and break through, but the Hyuuga heiress caught and deftly parried every one with efficient movements. Noticing an opening, she struck, and Kiba leapt back in surprise. She'd been so close to landing a blow. They both paused then, each comparing the other. Hinata broke the silence with a firm command, "Come."

Kiba narrowed his eyes at that. His last attack hadn't worked. Her Byakugan gave her too much of an advantage if he moved along predictable path lines. He nodded to himself, recalling something his mother had said once about the Uchiha and Hyuuga. Being able to see what's coming doesn't help if you're too slow to keep up with it. So, move unpredictably. He blurred again, charging across the ground towards her, ready to strike with elbows, knees, fists.

Once again, she could block every frontal strike, but he didn't wait for her to find the gap in his defences this time. He broke off, circling round to her side in a heartbeat, and resuming the attack from this new angle. He took note of the slight delay when she spun to face him and block his attack. He grinned. He could make this work! He shot into the air, passing over her head and clawing down to make her duck. He caught nothing but air, and he knew she had acted as he needed. He twisted in midair, landing behind her and pressing at her back, not allowing her time to turn and face him. Even with that, she could still see his attacks coming and dodged and weaved away from him. It was obvious that strategy had been more tiring for her than simply blocking his strikes, but apparently she was still up to it. As she broke away, he backed off before she could counterattack. He snarled in frustration. This was starting to wear at him. He was starting to feel the fatigue, but she still seemed ready to go.

In actuality, Hinata was being hard-pressed to control her breathing and not allowing her own fatigue to show. She had nearly forgotten how difficult it was to keep up with Kiba. She watched as he snarled at her, clearly frustrated with his own fatigue.

Kiba knew his own stamina wouldn't allow him to last much longer. He had to end this with his next move or not at all. What he was about to do wasn't strictly pure taijutsu, but it didn't use chakra to affect his opponent, and Hinata was using her Byakugan, so why couldn't he use this? He brought his hands into a tiger seal, calling out his technique.

"Gijyuu Ninpou, Shikyaku no Jutsu!"

His nails lengthened into veritable claws, and chakra wreathed his body. He shot forwards, preparing to claw Hinata out of the fight. Indeed, she was hard-pressed to keep up with him, blocking and dodging as much as she could to avoid the sharp claws. She was only partially successful, her twelve-year-old body struggling to meet the demanding pace. When Kiba at last backed away, she had two shallow gashes, one on her cheek, the other on her left arm. Kiba still wasn't finished, though. "This is it, Hinata!" He leapt. "Tsuuga!" His midair rotation rapidly came together into the indistinct gray missile that was the Inuzukas' signature move, and he made a beeline for Hinata. At the last moment, Hinata threw herself to the side, a smooth roll that brought her to her feet before Kiba had even stopped.

Kurenai breathed in relief at that. This match was supposed to be pure taijutsu, but Kiba was moving too quickly for her call the match in time. Fortunately, Hinata had avoided the attack and consequently any injury. Kiba had now stopped his attack, having missed his target, and was scrabbling to stop his movement towards a tree while battling his own exhaustion. Hinata ran forwards, apparently deciding that now was the time to go on the offensive. Kiba was exhausted, fatigued, out of stamina, however you wanted to put it, he was just about done, barely able to move. His defences, when Hinata tested them, were fluid, but slow. He just didn't have the energy, though he put up a valiant final effort.

Kurenai finally called the match after Hinata struck a blow through Kiba's guard, and used the gap that created to deliver two simultaneous attacks to his throat and gut, both of which halted before they actually connected.

"That's enough! Hinata is the winner." Kiba winced at that. Kurenai-sensei was probably not very happy with him following that spar. He dropped to the ground, panting, his hood falling away. Hinata's eyes returned to their normal pale hue, the raised veins on her face subsiding. The severe look faded, her softer side showing once again. She bowed again to her beaten opponent.

"Thank you for the match, Kiba-kun." Kiba just nodded, having no breath to spare for words. She seemed satisfied with that, and turned around to rejoin their teammate and sensei. Akamaru had run forward after the spar concluded, and was now using Kiba's chest as a platform so he could reach his friend's cheek. Kiba just stroked Akamaru's back while he got his wind back. He was no real hurry to get chewed out by Kurenai-sensei, but he'd have to get it over with anyway. He stood gingerly, feeling the fatigue in his muscles. He was grateful that Hinata hadn't used her Jyuuken proper to seal his tenketsu, that stuff sounded nasty. All the same, though, that girl was strange. She could be polite and proper and all that normally, but during the fight? That sudden change was... jarring, to say the least. He'd expected some timid lamb, not a ferocious wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Well, come on, Akamaru, time to face the music." Akamaru barked rather indignantly from atop Kiba's head. "You, too, huh? Yeah, so that was stupid of me, big deal. She dealt with it just fine, didn't she?"

* * *

><p>Shikamaru took a very well-deserved break, lying back against the grass, taking in the clouds drifting past overhead, their white shapes contrasting well with the blue sky behind them as they let the wind drive them where it would. A bluish-grey wisp of smoke drifted up from the corner of his vision, letting him know where Asuma was leaning against a tree, one of his troublesome lit cigarettes hanging from his mouth. The crunching sound to Shikamaru's right was Chouji, partaking of his favorite barbecue-flavor chips. The slight rustling at his feet, on the other hand, was a pacing Ino. That girl just couldn't stand to sit around doing nothing, could she? Troublesome. Still, lying there, cloud gazing, it was easy to call to mind past memories. And deceptively alluring to dwell in the past...<p>

"Shika-ji-san! Shika-ji-san!" Momiji darted down the stairs, tackling her beloved uncle around the midriff as he turned to greet her.

"Oi, brat."

"Don't call me that! I'm not a brat! I'm six!"

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say."

She puffed out her cheeks at this, but quickly forgot about it in her excitement. "Shika-ji-san, guess what's happening today!"

Briefly, he pretended to consider the question. "I think Naruto wanted my help on something to do with bureaucratic stuff..."

"No!"

"Hm. I did need to see Tenten about maintenance for your dad's old chakra blades..."

She stamped her foot, "No!"

"Well, Chouji said his dad wanted us to join him on his birthday... but I thought that wasn't for a few weeks."

She stomped on his foot, "NO!" Shikamaru hopped a bit, but continued unabated.

"Oh, so it is tonight, th-" She stomped on his other foot.

"It's my first day at the Ninja Academy!"

"Oh, really?" He put his finger to his chin. "Eh, that's right, isn't it..."

"Shika-ji-saaaan! How could you forget that!"

He grinned, "Saru-gaki, why do you think I'm here?"

"Eh?"

"Your mom asked me to take you." A moment's hesitation, as she digested this information. Then she tackled him again, squealing in delight. "All right, all right, I get it, you're happy. Go finish getting ready or you'll be late!" The little girl detached herself from her uncle before disappearing back upstairs, giggling and 'yay'ing the whole time. Shikamaru walked through to the kitchen, where Kurenai was reading a scroll. "Oi, Kurenai-sensei."

"Hello, Shikamaru." She looked up from her scroll. "Thank you again for this. Momiji's really quite attached to you."

"No, it's no problem."

"...You know, you're the closest thing she has to a father figure."

He shrugged in response. "She deserves one. I'm just honored you let me..." Kurenai's eyebrow rose at that. Honored? He didn't have to go that far, did he? Unless...

"Shikamaru, do you still...?" She didn't have to finish the question. Shikamaru's face told her that he knew what she was asking. He didn't answer immediately either, suddenly unable to meet Kurenai's gaze.

"...Yeah. I do."

"You shouldn't. You did everything you could."

"Did I, though?"

"You did more than anyone else could, certainly. I don't think anyone would have been able to figure out Hidan's abilities that quickly, or devise a counter-strategy to them." He didn't respond to that at all. "Shikamaru, no one else could have protected him from Hidan's technique as long as-"

"I know! That's what I keep remembering. And then I remember how much I slacked off as a kid, how much time and effort I wasted that could have gone into training!" The chief source of Shikamaru's repressed guilt came to light. "If I had been able to keep the Kage Mane going for just a few seconds more, or won just a few more seconds keeping him from going back into that circle using the Kage Nui, then maybe Asuma-sensei would still be alive! You don't know just how close together things happened after that! It was like the universe was just waiting for Asuma to die before help could arrive, or Hidan and Kakuzu giving up and leaving, or..." He took a deep breath, trying to form his exact thoughts into speech. "It's stupid of me to think like this. I KNOW it is, and I know that thinking about the 'what if's' and the 'why not's' is just far too troublesome to even bother, but I still can't stop thinking about it!"

Kurenai didn't have an answer for the distraught special jounin in front of her. Guilt was not something that followed logical thought processes, and the only thing someone could do to help would be to point that out. She couldn't do that in this case, since it was obvious that Shikamaru was already fully aware of it. There wasn't anything to be done, except for him to work though it by himself.

"I can't really say anything that you don't already know. Yes, that line of thought is ridiculous. None of us know the future. None of us know what's coming next. All I can say is that Asuma's death wasn't your fault. He made a choice. He knew and accepted what the consequences could be. Now you have to."

Movement brought Shikamaru out of his reminiscing. A passing breeze had blown the smoke out of his field of vision. Well, Asuma had been considerate enough to smoke downwind, at least. The silence of their training ground was broken by Ino's shrill cry. Shikamaru sighed and hoisted himself up to watch.

"What's the matter, Ino?" Asuma was the one to ask first. Chouji wasn't one who could be distracted from all-important food so easily. Food, the fuel for the body, was more necessary than most people gave it credit for. All Akimichi recognised food's importance, though. Shikamaru did nothing simply because he knew that Asuma could deal with whatever Ino's mood was. Besides, dealing with Ino when she was like this was always troublesome.

"How can you all just sit around doing nothing! This is training time, we should be training!"

"We just were training, Ino. This is called a break."

"For a half-hour?"

Shikamaru added his own opinion, "Being well-rested is just as important as training hard. You can't train very well when you're exhausted." Although, training while tired... that could be a form of endurance training in itself. He shook his head. He was starting to sound like Konoha's self-proclaimed Green Beasts.

Chouji finished his chips, then crushed the bag before chipping in to the conversation, "If you train too much and too hard, you'll burn yourself out." Ino wasn't having any of it.

"While I'm sure that Shikamaru is very experienced with being well-rested, I don't think you're in any position to be talking about burning anything with training, Chouji. You've been training for how long, and yet you still haven't lost any of that fat!"

Shikamaru flinched, while Chouji's eyes suddenly burned. Ino, realising her mistake too late, 'eep'd and backed away. Shikamaru reacted similarly, doing his best to distance himself from the carnage. Chouji, despite his new courage and even fiercer loyalty towards his friends, still had buttons to push. His weight was still one of them. Those who valued life and limb (and a happy lack of property damage) did not call Chouji 'fat' to his face.

"I'm not fat, I'm just big boned! Baika no J-" Asuma had caught Chouji's hands.

"Easy, there's no call for that. Was there, Ino?"

Ino flinched, while Chouji's initial rage was lessened, if still present. "How about we try and work on our team dynamic? There's nothing like sharing a meal to get to know another person. Yakitori sound good?" Chouji's rage vanished instantly.

"Really?"

Shikamaru smiled at the exchange, Asuma already guessing how to best soothe Chouji's temper while not actually doing real work. Inclination to laziness aside, Asuma was very good at making sure the team dynamic worked, particularly since the Ino-Shika-Chou synergy was somewhat reliant upon that. Asuma really was the perfect jounin for the job. Young Team Ten had needed to be directed, but on the whole, they'd acted like a family unit, Asuma very much the father figure in that set-up. Team Ten's future successes spoke well of his ability to play that role. He deserved the chance to demonstrate that ability with his own child. He deserved the chance to show the entire world how good a dad he could be. Shikamaru silently resolved, once again, to ensure Asuma's survival if they encountered Hidan again.


	7. Chapter 7

"Very good! Stop there!" Naruto and Lee broke away from each other, one decidedly grateful for the rest. True to their word, Konoha's Green Beasts had greatly stepped up the pace of their training, and Naruto was forced to adapt to it. Even with his unholy stamina, it was bloody hard work.

And, as crazy as it sounded, he was grateful to them for it. Fight hard, train harder, after all. With the increased pace these two were setting, his own dragon-style taijutsu was seeing colossal improvement. If he could get it going any faster, he would, but he already knew the movement. It was now simply a case of using it often enough that his muscles remembered it too. It took time. Sparring with Lee, and occasionally Gai-sensei, when the jounin wished to personally test the intensity of his students' youthful passion, helped that and them. Though he was sure that the two of them needed no excuse to train harder, the fact that his presence meant they were implied that this was giving Lee an advantage over his 'other' self.

Naruto grinned widely as he left for Team Seven's meeting. He'd never thought that he would, however inadvertently or indirectly, be pushing Lee to train harder rather than the other way around.

The fact that he was smiling after a training session with the Green Beasts got him a very strange look from Tenten when he ran past her.

"Gai-sensei... Naruto-kun is improving rapidly, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. His youth burns almost as strongly as your own. That you have noticed it only means that you are improving rapidly yourself, Lee."

"Gai-sensei..."

"Lee?"

"Is... At my current rate, do you think Naruto-kun will surpass me soon?"

"In a few years, perhaps. Once the two of you are evenly matched, any contest of youth between you will be a sight to behold." And you will both likely have surpassed me by then.

Lee closed his fist in thought. Naruto-kun... is improving rapidly.

"Then... I shall simply have to train even harder!"

Gai turned to his student in surprise.

"Naruto-kun... an opponent such as Naruto-kun deserves to face me at the best I can possibly be! If he is to surpass me, then I shall be as an embodiment of passionate youth, so that he shall have to be all the more youthful in order to achieve such a goal! I cannot afford to slack off, now more than ever! Now that I have someone who seeks to surpass me, as I seek to surpass Neji-kun... I owe it to them to offer the greatest challenge I am capable of! I will..." He shook his head and stuck his "nice guy" pose for his sensei, "No, I MUST train even harder, so that I may be a rival worthy of such passion, and so that the both of us may unlock our youthful potentials that much sooner!" Manly, youthful tears were streaming down Lee's face as he finished. His sensei, too, was momentarily dumbstruck. The moment passed quickly, as he struck his own "nice guy" pose, unable to contain the tears of youthful admiration at Lee's even brighter passion.

"Bravo, Lee! I'm so proud of you, my beautiful student! With that mindset, you will most certainly become a passionate avatar of the burning springtime of youth, Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

* * *

><p>Ah, D-ranks. Kakashi had almost forgotten what those were like. Dull make-work that helped teach teamwork to new teams. It also helped to serve as an effective disillusionment device. True, as a ninja, you did have to fight, and it was inevitable that at some point you would have to kill, but most of the time? Being a ninja could be boring, especially during peace-time. Stake-outs, guard duty for paranoid rich people, long-distance border patrols... Of course, while it could be boring, it was a good boring. There was enough death in the world without seeking it out. He knew why Minato-sensei was so fond of making them do D-ranks as often as possible during the Third War – it was better to contribute without contributing to the death toll, if you could.<p>

It was also funny as hell watching your cute little genin team toiling away while you pretended not to watch from the sidelines.

"Naruto, before you leave, I'd like to speak to you."

"Hm?" Naruto immediately went on the defensive, "Look, if this is about that thing with the exploding tag on the cat, I heard about that, too, and I had nothing to do with it!"

"What? Cat? Exploding tags? I-" Kakashi stopped, took a deep breath and pointedly decided to ignore that. "No, what I was GOING to ask you about was the fact that your skill level is not what I'd expect from your class's dead last."

"Eh~? Kakashi-sensei, you should know that tests like that aren't a real measure of ability. Someone could hold back in the Academy to avoid raising questions!"

"And to get on the same team as the class valedictorian?"

"Yeah, that could happen, especially if they held back enough to be the dead last!" Naruto winked.

You sneaky little...

"All right, Naruto, it's obvious this isn't a hypothetical conversation. I just want to know what else you've been holding back, and how you're at the point that you can hold back."

"Saw this coming... Well, my taijutsu's better than I let it show in the Academy, and Fuzzy-brows and Gai-sensei are the most responsible for that. Um, I've also been practising fuuinjutsu on my own. It's just a hobby right now, though, so don't expect anything too amazing on that front. And I know how to use fuuton nature manipulation, but you knew that." It was rather hard to forget that wind prison technique. "My basics are definitely better than the Academy scores, and I've almost mastered them by this point... but..." He shuffled in place, and it seemed to be an effort to get out his next words. "I can't use Bunshin no Jutsu." He seemed honestly embarrassed about that, so Kakashi didn't press the issue. It was a rather superfluous weakness, considering the ease with which he used kage bunshin.

"Apart from working with Gai and Lee, how did you get to this point?"

"Well, I realised kinda early on that most of the Academy instructors had it in for me, and... I only just found out why..." Kakashi nodded. He'd been briefed about Naruto's awareness of the Kyuubi. "So, instead of wasting time asking for help I wasn't going to get, I decided to go look for anything else that could help. I found a bunch of scrolls and stuff around town that really helped, and getting to where I am now was just working my ass off. It took me a year and a half to get the fuuton manipulation done."

Independent study got him this far? Either he's a genius or he had a lot of time on his hands. Maybe even both, but when would he have gone out to play wi-?

Oh. Oh, yeah. No friends outside the Academy.

Kakashi decided not to try and verify his suspicions.

"How did you even know what chakra nature you had to begin with?"

You told me, Naruto thought, but instead lied. "I didn't."

"...But you-"

"I just tried whichever would be easiest to keep hidden."

Kakashi blinked. The chances of choosing an elemental nature to train at random and getting it right were about one-in-five. Well, technically, three-in-five, since most ninja had secondary chakra natures they could train to use, but one-in-five for your primary affinity. So, that raised the question; was wind Naruto's primary chakra nature?

"Naruto, I think I may need to talk to you again tomorrow. We need to be sure that you are, in fact, training your primary nature, because they could be more powerful than the wind techniques you've already mastered. Assuming that wind isn't your primary nature, that is."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, okay. How are you going to do that, though?"

"Well, you'll see."

Naruto gave him a confused look and shrugged. "Sure, Kakashi-sensei. Was that everything?"

"You tell me."

Naruto grinned, "Kakashi-sensei, would I lie to you?"

I wonder.

"Well, then, so long as you don't come up with any more surprises, I guess we're done." Naruto just nodded and then ran off, chanting something about ramen.

* * *

><p>Sakura watched him leave and sighed. For all his new hidden strengths, he could still be such an idiot. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, time to make some changes of my own...<p>

"Ano, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi stifled a worn sigh and let his Icha-Icha remain where it was. Some other time, old friend.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Well, I was thinking that I... well, I'm not as good as I thought I was, and I was thinking that maybe I should do something about that, but I'm not really sure where I should start." Kakashi didn't respond. "And, well, since you're our jounin-sensei, I thought maybe you, that is, I thought I should ask if you knew what-"

"Sakura. You can breathe, now."

She did.

"Well, I'm glad you're asking for help, rather than just worrying about it and ultimately doing nothing." Sakura shuffled nervously. She had actually thought of doing that, but had decided against it. Barely. "Off-hand, I'd say you're a genjutsu type, so perhaps training in related areas would be helpful. Generally, genjutsu types learn defensive ninjutsu and a handful of offensive techniques in case they're ever caught in a situation that would call for them. You'd need to focus on genjutsu themselves and the disciplines required to make the most of that."

"Then, couldn't you help me with that?"

"While it's true I could teach you a couple of genjutsu, I'm a ninjutsu-type myself. I do know that genjutsu require fine chakra control and a keen mind, but the same could be said of most ninja disciplines. I don't know the specific tricks of the trade that a genjutsu specialist would need to know."

Her face fell as she began considering where she might find such information. "Oh... I see. I'll have to find that out on my own, then."

"Not necessarily."

A spark of hope flit across her face.

"While I may not know that, I know someone who does."

"Isn't that kind of...?"

"It's more common than you think. Unless the jounin in question is a jack-of-all-trades, or the student in question specialises in the same area as their original jounin-sensei, they typically part ways to find other teachers once the basics of practical fieldwork have been imparted. Out of the three of you, I really only expect Sasuke to still be learning from me in just three years' time, since it looks like he might be a ninjutsu specialist too."

"So, Naruto's not a ninjutsu specialist, then?"

"He could be, but from what I've seen of him so far, it's far more likely he'll end up a heavy combat specialist. I might still have something to teach him in three years, but he'll probably have a new teacher by then. But anyway, this genjutsu specialist."

"Who are they?"

"She's currently jounin-sensei of Team Eight. I'm not sure if she'll agree to this or not on top of her regular duties, but if she does, it'll have to be on your own time, and in addition to the work you do with Team Seven. Are you prepared to do the work, Sakura?"

Sakura looked slightly pensive. "Kakashi-sensei, have you ever realised that you've been doing something for the wrong reasons, but now you want to keep doing it so you find the right reason?"

Sakura, you have no idea, Kakashi wanted to say. Instead his replay was a neutral, "Yes."

"Then, you know that I'm willing to work hard for this. I want to know why I'll do what I'm meant to do." She paused. "That didn't make any sense, did it."

"No, it's fine. I have a fair idea of where you're coming from. I'll talk to her later today, so you'll have an answer by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

><p>"Konohamaru-chan, are you sure that Naruto is coming this way?"<p>

"I'm certain of it! Naruto-niichan loves ramen from Ichiraku's, and this is the shortest way to get there from his team's training area."

A young boy with glasses and a perpetually running nose piped up. "But how do you know he's not there already? The Academy only just finished for today."

"That's because he's Naruto-niichan! He always works harder than everyone else, so I know he's still at the training area!"

An orange jumpsuit ran into view, the person wearing it chanting the virtues of ramen.

"See, there he is!"

"That orange jumpsuit kinda makes him look like an idiot..."

"That's just part of Naruto-niichan's cunning plan! Now come on, before he gets away!" Konohamaru leapt from the tree, his two friends following him, quickly assuming combat formation. He cried out to get their target's attention, "Naruto-niichan!"

"Eh?" His attention was caught. The trap was set.

"Take this! Ero-ninpou: Oiroke no Jutsu!" Just as Naruto registered who his assailant was, a beautiful and wonderfully proportioned brunette appeared in a puff of smoke. Oh, and she was naked, too. That was kind of an important detail.

In a voice that tried to be as seductive as possible, yet oddly innocent as well, the goddess spoke. "Well, Nii-chan? How is it?"

Naruto, to his credit, did not overreact to the sight. He took his time examining the naked form before him, before finally shaking his head in disapproval.

"I'm disappointed in you, my student." The woman disappeared, replaced by a shocked eight-year-old with the beginnings of a top-knot and a pair of very familiar-looking goggles worn on his head.

"Wh-what? But-"

"You have clearly been neglecting your training! That henge looked almost exactly like your first one, pose and all! Always remember the ideal shape, the BWH, the height, the voice! Explore new body poses, new positions for the hands, new expressions that are as suggestive as possible! Even a difference of a few millimetres can make or break a subconscious ratio! Innovate! Invigorate! Explore what it means for people to find something truly sexy! That is Oiroke no Jutsu! That is Ero-ninjutsu!" Gone was the shock, leaving only a wide-eyed and star-struck Konohamaru in its wake.

"Un! Oyabun! I understand now!"

"No, you don't! The path of ero-ninjutsu is all-encompassing! Everyone finds something different sexy! Ero-ninjutsu seeks to unify those preferences into the single perfect form! Behold! Henge!" The Ram seal was made, and a man in the next street fell over with a nosebleed.

After Naruto dropped the henge, Konohamaru stood there, in awe. Udon and Moegi behind him, however, were less so, and the same thought ran through their minds.

Is this guy an idiot?

"Naruto-niichan, I brought my friends with me this time! I told them all about how great a ninja you are!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, taking in their sceptical faces. Ero-ninjutsu didn't impress them, eh? Well, Naruto had ways of making you his friend.

"Well, Konohamaru, who are they?"

"Sure! Meet Udon and Moegi! They're my best friends!"

Naruto did a double-take, "Oh, crap, there's a girl on your team already?"

"What, you think a girl can't be a good ninja?" Moegi's eyes narrowed, a small trickle of killing intent filtering out.

"Ah, and she's already got the right attitude! Beware the wrath of Kunoichi, Kono! They can kick your ass like nobody's business. Believe me, they KNOW how to be scary."

"I know what you mean, Oyabun. Moegi-chan's really scary when she's mad."

"Konohamaru-kun!"

"Eh, I see what you mean, Konohamaru. She's a lot like Sakura was, so I know Moegi's gonna be a tough ninja one day. I wouldn't ever want to fight her!"

"You...! You... wait. You mean that?" Moegi's anger halted, and she instead blushed at the praise.

"I promise! And I never go back on my word! That's my nindo!"

"Mine too!" Konohamaru joined his idol. "I think Moegi-chan will make a great kunoichi!" The young girl blushed harder and gave Konohamaru a whack over the head.

"B-Baka..."

Naruto grinned, and turned to the bespectacled boy.

"So, your name's Udon?" Naruto sized him up. Udon ended up a competent ninja, he knew that much. He was in infiltration or ANBU or one of those that required even more anonymity than vanilla service. At least other ninja knew who you were in this business. The runny-nosed boy looked at him questioningly, before Naruto finally delivered his verdict. "Keep the glasses. Everyone underestimates a guy with glasses."

"Eh? Really?" Udon shrank slightly, expecting an insult. "But everyone says they look stupid..."

"Udon, how high in your class are you?"

"He's really high up! Udon's the smartest kid in our class!"

"See? People see the glasses, think you're useless and then you can run rings around them with that mind of yours. But the people who matter know the truth. Keep the glasses."

Udon blushed at the attention and grasped his glasses on either side to slide them closer to his face.

"Un, Naruto-niisan."

Naruto grinned. "Sorry, guys, but I've got an appointment with ramen! The best: Ichiraku's!" With that, he left the three of them where they were, waving goodbye.

"See? I told you guys Naruto-niichan was awesome!"

Udon nodded quietly. He didn't think my glasses look stupid...

Moegi just beamed. He thinks girls make great ninja!

* * *

><p>"Ah, Yuuhi-san, what a surprise to see you here!"<p>

The hand of Yuuhi Kurenai, fresh jounin and leader of genin team Eight, froze on its way up to her mouth, the dish of sake it carried held still. Kakashi was not surprised by anything, and he socialised even less. Even when he did, he preferred small, out-of-the-way places that didn't see many customers. Which meant that his being here in the popular bar and restaurant she favored was anything but a coincidence.

He wanted to talk to her about something.

Kurenai sighed and swallowed her sake before the conversation could turn it cold. It helped to be slightly drunk when dealing either half of Konoha's Eternal Rivals, anyway. She turned to face him.

"It's something of a surprise to see you as well, Kakashi. I wasn't aware you enjoyed such locales." By all accounts, the man was shut-in. Not that she blamed him.

"Well, everyone has to get out once in a while, right?" He was being falsely cheerful and his omnipresent porn, which he knew she disapproved of, was hidden. Not only did he want to talk, he wanted a favor as well. That he had tracked her down in her familiar surroundings suggested that he wanted her as comfortable as possible. He must really want this favor.

"Very true. Why don't you sit down?"

"Thanks."

"...I don't suppose you'd like anything to drink?" He shook his head. "Then why on earth are you in a bar?"

"Well, that's... heheh. You caught me, then?" Kurenai's amused silence prompted him to continue, "The truth is, I did need to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead."

"You see, I have a new student who wants to improve greatly, but I can't provide them with the specialised knowledge that they would need. They seem to be a genjutsu-type, you see, and-"

"I think I can guess what you're about to ask. Kakashi, this student of yours may wish to improve greatly, but you are still their jounin-sensei. I highly doubt that the great Sharingan Kakashi wouldn't know where to begin in terms of genjutsu."

"I'm flattered you think so, Yuuhi-san, but I'm hardly a specialist. I can use genjutsu, that's true, but I lack specialised knowledge that years of relying on them as a primary combat style would bring. I don't typically lean on genjutsu as a first resort, like a specialist such as yourself would. Surely you can understand that I want my genin to be as prepared as they can be? Why shouldn't I find specialists in their respective fields to help them?"

"Now it's my turn to be flattered."

Kakashi simply smiled beneath his mask. "Is it working?"

"It might. You know, when you took that team, a lot of people assumed it was only so you could focus on the Uchiha. With teammates like Sakura and Naruto joining him, many thought that you would make things hard on them so that they would drop out."

"I notice you didn't include yourself in that assessment?"

"I don't know you very well, but I think Hokage-sama does. I also don't think you would have been made a jounin-sensei if he thought you capable of such a thing."

"...I'm not going to make this easy on them, Yuuhi-san. Certainly, if they me ask for help or specifics, I'll give it... to a point, like asking you to help teach Sakura. I'm not handing them the answer on a silver platter. If she or anyone else in my team wants to improve, they'll have to work harder than anyone in the Academy ever asked of them."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Even Sasuke?"

"Especially him. Natural genius only goes so far and the sooner he learns that, the better."

Kurenai digested that for a moment. "So, you're asking me to help train one of your genin, on my own time?"

"Only in advanced genjutsu, and I'm asking that you make this as hard on her as you can as well. I'm sure you, too can appreciate getting as many wake-up calls as possible."

Kurenai nodded at that. Oh, yes. Far too many fresh genin had preconceptions that needed to be broken before they paid the price for it. Their own skill level and the invulnerability it conveyed was one of them.

"And what do you intend to do about your third genin?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to do. He's already far more advanced in some areas than I originally gave him credit for, and he's already getting a helping hand from Gai in taijutsu. Genjutsu doesn't seem to be his strength, so I can cover his training on that end... Apart from expanding his ninjutsu repertoire and teaching him field tactics and practice, I don't think he really needs all that much help from me. He's certainly done all right for himself so far." Kakashi hm'd behind that mask of his, his false cheer gone. "In fact... no, never mind. Well, Yuuhi-san, your verdict?" She sighed.

"I'll do it." I suppose a protege of sorts would be nice, and it can't hurt to brush up on my own genjutsu basics while I teach. "I'll show up near the end of your team's mission work tomorrow."

"Ah, that's great! I'll be sure to let her know. Thank you, Yuuhi-san."

"You've got your favor, Kakashi, so stop being so formal. Just Kurenai is fine."

"That's rather familiar, isn't it?"

"We're both jounin, aren't we?"

Kakashi tilted his head at that. "True. Then, good evening, Kurenai."

* * *

><p>Parry, turn, rotate.<p>

Next stance.

Shino froze. He'd just done it again. Stances and kata needed to be fluid, not separate. If he'd learned anything from his defeat in training, it was that. Granted, the odds that he would find himself in a situation where he had to fall back on taijutsu alone were miniscule, but Shino was pragmatic to a fault. He had a weakness, so he would train to get rid of it. Why? Because it never hurts to have hidden strengths.

Now, seventh form.

But still, he was as surprised as anyone at the skill that Hinata had demonstrated in both that fight, and her fight with Kiba. She continued to demonstrate such iron determination in her subsequent training sessions. She acted as polite and reserved as she had previously, but such behaviour was made somehow subtly intimidating when one considered just how quickly she could cast that aside for a stern, unforgiving combat demeanour.

Twist, thrust, move into the second stance.

Pride, as Shino saw it, was a dangerous and insidious thing that could lead to many a ninja's downfall. Why? Because pride leads to one overestimating their own abilities. Shino had prided himself on his observational skills regarding both his peers and instructors. He had assumed that he knew their own habits and abilities well enough to predict them.

Clearly, he hadn't. He would have to remedy that deficiency, either by accepting the possibility that others could deliberately mislead him, or by increasing his observational prowess. Perhaps both. Why? Because it always pays to have hidden strengths.

Deflect, counter, strike!

* * *

><p>"Damn it."<p>

Akamaru looked down at Kiba from his perch on his partner's head. The genin had not stopped thinking about that fight since it had happened. That Hinata, timid, withdrawn Hinata could have beaten him like that...

"I still almost can't believe it. Where the hell did that kinda skill come from, anyway?"

Akamaru whined a speculative response back just as Kiba's mother, Tsume, walked in.

"Kiba? What are you doing here? Weren't you and Akamaru going to train?"

"Mom? Yeah, I couldn't keep my mind on it."

"You couldn't keep your mind on becoming a "badass"? What the hell is so distracting?"

"Well, you know I got assigned to my team the other day..."

"So?"

"I'm getting to it! Well, there's this girl on my team, an-"

"Ah, so that's it." There was a definite teasing note to Tsume's speech.

"Huh?"

"You don't have to say anything else, Kiba. Frankly, if this girl is enough to distract you from training, then-"

"Damn it, it's not like that! ...At least, I think it isn't."

"It's not? Well, Kiba, if you don't happen to 'like' girls, you know I'd always understa-"

"DAMN IT, MOM!"

"All right, all right, I'll be serious. Now what's the problem?"

"Well... yesterday our new sensei decided to put us up against one another to see what we could do, and when it was time for me to fight Hinata, she... she beat me." The warning look prompted him to continue. "It's not about that I got beaten by a girl, it's that this came out of nowhere. So far as I knew, she was just an average kunoichi with average taijutsu ability. And then she beat me."

"Did you at least put up a good fight?"

"Of course I did! It's just that I had no idea she could do th-ow!"

Akamaru jumped off as Tsume hit her son lightly on the head.

"Mom?"

"So, this girl beat you because you underestimated her?"

Kiba looked thoughtful at that.

"Well, I suppose it's good you learn this lesson now instead of later, but... never underestimate people in our line of work, Kiba. It's never a good idea to do so."

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, but... it's not that. I'd just seen her fight against Shino, and I knew what she could do," Shino's comment following his fight with him chose that moment to pass through his head. "Damn. Damn that bastard."

"Hm?"

"It's just something Shino said. I didn't underestimate Hinata, I just overestimated myself. I knew how good she was, I'd seen her fight against Shino and I still thought I could win." Kiba punched the ground. "I thought soldier pills could make up for my fighting stamina?"

What the hell have I been doing all this time?

Tsume smiled at her son. Now that he's realised his weakness, he'll only become stronger.

"Well then Kiba, do you know what to do now?"

Kiba jumped to his feet.

"Damned right, I do! Akamaru!"

His partner yipped.

"Come on! We've got work to do!" The two of them dashed outside.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru was training? Again? Ino had been angry about his taking such a long break in training the other day, but now? It seemed like he used most of his spare time to train. So much for being lazy!<p>

"Oi, Shikamaru, what are you doing?"

He didn't answer her, instead continuing the exercise. Her eye twitched at being ignored.

"Oi, Shikamaru!"

He finished, then turned to look at her. "Oh, Ino. When did you get here?"

"I've been here for a while!"

Shikamaru sat down and leaned back against a conveniently located tree. He seemed to be waiting for Ino to get bored and go away. When he finally decided that that wouldn't happen, or possibly decided that blowing her off like that could make things far too troublesome later on, he spoke.

"Right, right, fine. Just don't yell, thanks."

Ino snapped. "How can you still be this lazy when you train so much every day!"

Shikamaru looked at her. "What do you mean "'train so much'? It's troublesome, but this isn't as much I should be doing."

Ino blinked. "What?"

"Like I said, now we're genin, we should be training more than this each day."

She did less training than he did, and now Shikamaru was telling her that even he wasn't doing enough? She brushed off her surprise. Okay, so he was being a bit weird, but she was certain that there were others in their age group who did the same amount of training she did.

"You know, you should probably be doing more, too. Otherwise, you're going to start falling behind." He pointed out.

"WHAT?"

Shikamaru, unmoving, unperturbed and uncaring, casually ignored the trickle of killing intent floating his way now. Ino was NOT falling behind! She'd beaten all the other girls in taijutsu in the Academy and she was third in the academic rankings, damn it! She was a great kunoichi, damn it, and she was not, could not be falling behind everyone else!

"I mean, sure you were high-ranked in the Academy, but that's just the Academy. We're not playing around anymore, and we're going to have to be a lot better than we were then. That's why we've got jounin-sensei now instead of chuunin, and why we're in smaller groups. We're going to be put through our paces a lot more often. We can't afford to slack off. Not with what's out there."

Ino'd had it. He was calling her lazy? She'd improved since the academy, and she was not going to take this! Her boar-style was better than Shikamaru's rat for direct combat, and she was certain that she could beat him.

"Shikamaru!" She threw a kick at his head.

The next few seconds passed in something of a blur for Ino. After she'd kicked at Shikamaru's head, he'd dodged somehow and had proceeded to dodge everything else she attacked him with, until finally she ended up like this, on the ground, her arm held behind her and his knee in the small of her back.

For the life of her, she couldn't say when she'd overextended herself to the point that he could get her like this.

"Congratulations. You're dead. And I'm just a genin. How do you think you'd do against an enemy chuunin? Or a jounin? We're active ninja, Ino. Sooner or later, we're going to face people like that." He let her go and stood up. "Looks like I was right. You are falling behind." He sat down against the same tree. "By the way, you still drop your left-hand guard when punching with a reverse right."

Ino shakily stood up. She'd... lost? To SHIKAMARU, of all people?

She walked home in silence.

* * *

><p>Ino stormed into her family home, clearly enraged about something. Inoichi, ever the dutiful father, immediately asked what was wrong, expecting another rant about how unfair it was that Sakura had ended up on Sasuke's team and not her.<p>

"Daddy! We are going to train. Now."

Well, that wasn't what he was expecting. Wait, 'we'? "Ino-chan?"

"You heard me! We are going out back and you are going to help me train!"

Inoichi just stared at his daughter.

"MOVE, DAD!"

"Of course! Coming right now!" He quickly rushed to follow her. Normally, he wouldn't be so pliable, but his mind was preoccupied with two happy thoughts. First, Ino was taking ninjutsu seriously, and with not a single mention of Sakura or Sasuke"-kun". Second, Inoichi was simply overjoyed that his daughter wanted to spend time with him, her father, to really protest anyway.

Ino was mumbling to herself the entire way to the training ground. "My taijutsu, first. I'll show him I'm not falling behind, the lazy bastard! Then my chakra control, then the shintenshin, then whatever else I can think of!" She yelled over her shoulder, "Dad, what's taking so long! Hurry up!"

"Of course, Ino-chan!" My daughter wants to spend time with me~!

* * *

><p>"I saw what you did there, Shikamaru."<p>

"Oh? What did I do there?"

Asuma smirked, "By beating Ino at taijutsu using your Rat-style to her Boar-style, you were showing her that she really is falling behind. My guess is that she's going to try and do something about it."

Shikamaru just shrugged in response.

"My only question is why? You seemed to be far too lazy to worry about other peoples' progress."

"Because as troublesome as it is to get it into her head that she needs to work hard, it'd be even more troublesome if something happened to her because she didn't."

Asuma quirked a brow at that. So, he did care, then? At least, enough to work to keep his team safe. Well, that was never in question, but Asuma had noticed... things when Team Ten trained. Odd things. Things that suggested one of his team was far more intelligent than the Academy scores suggested.

Time to put the Sarutobi gut instinct to the test again.

"Say, Shikamaru, I noticed you like puzzles. Care to try one I found the other day?"

"...found?"

"Yeah, while I was going through my old things, I found an old puzzle from my genin days." It was brand new, actually. He'd bought it a week ago. "I dusted it off, gave it a try. I figured you might be interested." Shikamaru eyed him lazily. Kami, he did everything lazily. Even when he was fighting Ino just now, his every movement just screamed... well, it loudly snored of lethargy. He didn't waste any more energy than he had to when he moved around.

"Yeah, sure... a good puzzle should be an okay substitute for a game of shogi..."

Asuma led him back to the small building that adorned the middle of their training ground.

"I left it just... here." He pulled the box out from behind the sliding door, then sat down and set the three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle in between them. "Go ahead, try it."

Let's see how long it takes you.

A few seconds later, Shikamaru slid the last piece of the wooden cube into place. Asuma stared. He'd only taken one look, ONE LOOK at the puzzle before he started slotting pieces together. Not one misstep, not one mistake, not one piece out of place. After just one look and three seconds. He'd taken longer to move the pieces around than he had to figure out where they went!

"Troublesome... that was too easy, Asuma-sensei. You played with this as a kid?"

"Y-yeah..." His teacher rubbed his neck sheepishly, while trying to figure out what IQ that result was indicative of.

"Huh. See you tomorrow, Asuma-sensei."

* * *

><p>Two years earlier...<p>

Temari awoke, holding back a scream. She sat up in bed slowly, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She was in bed, yes... Her room, in the Kazekage Tower...

Wait. No, that's not right. She'd moved out of the Tower when Gaara made her liason officer to Konoha. Her apartment was next to the greenhouse.

She shook her head to clear it. Focus. Focus on the last thing you remember. The Chuunin Exams. She had gone there with Gaara, but as his personal guard... like he needed one. Then there was an attack on the Kages' box? She took in the room again. Then... was she knocked out? And if so, how the hell did she stay that way long enough to be taken back to Suna? She flipped her feet out over the side and alarm bells went off in her head. Her centre of gravity was wrong. But what was worse that her body had automatically compensated, like it was used to it. Also, didn't she used to be stronger than this?

Her fan. She needed to find her fan. Something was wrong and she needed to prepare. Where was her fan?

Propped next to the bed, as though she'd put it there herself, except... it wasn't hers... was it?

Certainly, it looked similar, but gone were the scratches from sandstorms and various nicks and other reminders of combat it had accumulated in their time together. It looked almost new.

Temari suddenly had a horrible thought and looked down. She pulled away her shirt and her fears were confirmed. She was younger. MUCH younger. Judging by the state of her fan, she couldn't be more than thirteen.

It was genjutsu. It had to be. What else could it be?

A technique that reduces the target's physical age, her mind immediately responded, or possibly that impossible impossibility. Something that Temari did not want to consider. Maybe she really was... Thoughts continued bombarding her mind, disrupting her train of thought and replacing it, or just scattering it to the wind. Was this how Gaara had felt when he was still-

Gaara. She'd been his guard, in that box, he had been there when whatever had happened, happened. Then, was he here, too? Oh, kami. Oh, kami, no. Twenty-five-year-old Gaara back in his old body, his old mind, with his old "friend" for company? Oh, kami, no! That had the makings of something catastrophic! If Gaara was as confused as she was initially, if Shukaku took advantage of Gaara's disorientation, then there was a very real chance of him going berserk and reducing Suna to rubble!

She field-dressed herself, then grabbed her fan and ran out the door, filling her head with thoughts of strategy and grasping at whatever memory fragments she could to keep herself from panicking. Panic was not good.

She took note of her body's protest under the weight of her fan. Genjutsu were rarely that detailed.

It didn't eliminate the possibility, however.

Where was he? Damn it, where the hell was he? It should be easier to find someone with his chakra. On the other hand, the fact that I can't sense anything of Shukaku is probably a good thing...

Damn it. I had to say it, didn't I?

There was a strong spike of Gaara's chakra from the main entrance to the village. Wait, was he attacking the guards now? Their fa- the Kazekage would never accept that. The deaths of the assassins he sent was one thing, but loyal ninja who were just bystanders? He'd call that treason and deal with Gaara personally. Damn it, Gaara, just hold that damn tanuki in check for a few more seconds...

She came up on the entrance fairly soon. She could make out two guards backing away slowly, clearly terrified. From what she could see of Gaara, he was holding his head and stumbling as he moved. Shukaku was making a bid for freedom, then. She had to help him. She didn't know how, but maybe stopping him from killing Suna-nin would be a good start. She leapt down to street level.

"Gaara!"

He immediately turned and saw her. His eyes widened, for a split second, then whatever indecision he was struggling with was gone. He turned and ran, his sand sweeping up and away the guard who tried to stop him from leaving the village.

Wait, leave the village?

"Gaara, wait!" He was wrapping sand around himself, moving faster as he did so. Once he reached the end of the passage, that sand exploded out into the desert, leaving no trace or clue of Gaara's direction behind. Temari searched the dunes for footprints or even a small speck that might indicate where her little brother was, but fruitlessly. The clear sky and bright moonlight ensured that if there was anything of Gaara left to see, she would have seen it.

He was gone. Gone somewhere out into the desert, for kami knows why. Worse, he'd killed a guard in order to escape from Suna. If he was lucky, he'd be declared a nukenin and forgotten about, left to be some other country's problem. If not, then the Kazekage would make sure he was hounded day and night, in addition to his nukenin status. The death toll among his attackers would be enormous, but denied sleep, or any respite to recover, he'd eventually tire and fall, with Shukaku ready to be extracted for another attempt. Temari wearily turned and walked back into the village. She was not relishing the sight of fresh remains from one of Gaara's attacks.

"Medic! I need a medic here!"

A medic would be no good for a smear, you idiot. A medic would only be able to help if he was still alive... He's alive? Gaara didn't kill him? Then, that means he's the Gaara I remember. Well, the Gaara from the future, the present, oh whatever, he's the Gaara who doesn't think Shukaku is mother.

Then, did he...? He went out into the desert to protect Suna? Does he not think he can keep Shukaku under control yet?

Gaara, what the hell are you thinking?


	8. Chapter 8

That damn cat was safely in Sakura's arms, but Naruto still kept an eye on it. The damn thing seemed to enjoy scratching up his face. But, hey, he'd leave it alone, and it'd leave him alone, right? Sasuke interrupted his barely feline-tolerant thought process.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"How did you lure that cat into the alley for Sakura to catch it?" Sakura coughed and glared at Naruto. She knew what he'd done, but she wasn't talking about it, not even to Sasuke. Naruto grinned and shifted a few steps away from Sakura.

"Short story: I had a kage bunshin henge into a cat."

Sasuke was nonplussed. He had no idea why such a thing would work. "...Why would that-"

"A lady cat."

It wasn't often that Naruto, or anyone, really, got to see Sasuke gape. "What."

"You heard me."

Indeed Sasuke did. "Why?" However, it didn't make the answer any less surreal, in his mind.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"I mean, why did you turn into a lady cat? How or why do you even care what a cat finds sexy?" An evil grin split Naruto's face.

"Practice."

Sasuke considered that answer. He considered it for a very long time, until he came to the conclusion that while he probably did not want to know why Naruto would consider turning into a lady cat to be practice, he was just curious enough not to care. "Do I even want to know?"

"I'll just show you." Naruto's hands came up into a ram seal. "Henge!" When the smoke cleared, there was Naruko, with all her voluptuous glory for all to see. "Oiroke no Jutsu...!" Something was different from the usual, however. "-Nekomimi! Nyaa~n!" The cat-girl, on all fours, swiped at Sasuke with one hand playfully, not unlike a cat. A blonde tail could be seen curling in the air behind her, while there were two cat-ears replacing her regular ears. 'She' immediately turned her attentions upon her hapless team-mate. "Nya! Sasuke-kun!" The flirtatious sound deliberately inserted into his honorific did not go unnoticed. It was then, wrapped in the embrace of his idiot teammate, who currently had rather generously proportioned... assets that really shouldn't be there, but were pressing really not all that uncomfortably against his arm, that he heard something. It was a small sound, really, but it was unmistakable, even against the background noise of Sakura screeching at Naruto yet not actually doing anything for fear that she would drop the cat, thereby nullifying all the work done to acquire it.

It was the sound of Kakashi's laughter. Chortling would be more accurate. The red-faced avenger immediately turned his head to glare at his jounin-sensei, a small tic beginning under his eye. Kakashi looked up, and, completely innocently, spoke in his defense.

"Funny joke." He simply pointed to his book. The expression in his single visible eye did not lend credence to that assertation.

"Get off, Naruto."

"But I can't get off without you, Sasuke-kun...!" Kakashi snorted, barely holding in a laugh. Now, where did he learn that little euphemism? Naruto's teammates, however, were not as amused.

"I mean, let go of me."

"Naruto, you really should. I suspect Sakura may suffer an apoplectic attack otherwise, and if that should happen, the cat will escape." Kakashi's next question was completely innocent in nature. Really. He didn't make it sound threatening or anything. "You wouldn't want that to happen, now would you?"

Naruko and her cat-ears disappeared so quickly that it briefly sparked doubts that Naruto had even used his Oiroke no Jutsu at all. Evidence to the contrary, in the form of Sasuke's lingering embarrassment and Sakura's death glare focused on Naruto, dispelled those doubts soon enough. Team Seven entered the Hokage Tower with two of three genin inexplicably annoyed with the third.

It wasn't all that hard for Naruto get the date right. After all, this was his first C-rank mission... and inadvertently, it then also became his first B-rank and then rapidly became his first A-rank mission.

The hard part was going to be getting the mission in the first place. For all he knew, Sandaime had simply given them the mission on a whim. His mood was going to be a big factor on whether or not he'd relent. Not to mention the sheer number of C-rank missions that Konoha had available on a day-to-day basis. The odds that Tazuna's mission would be given to them, or that it was even still available... Naruto cringed. This was one of the worst possible situations so far, simply because there was so much that could go wrong. If he did, by some miracle, get assigned to Tazuna again, then that was also a good indicator that fate or whatever was in the works.

But still, hadn't he avoided... certain events... so far? Day-to-day routine was changed as well. This was most certainly not a carbon-copy series of events that perfectly synchronised with what he remembered. Destiny, fate, pre-determination; certainly, some events seemed to be unavoidable, though that may have only been because they weren't really trying to avoid them yet. They had, in fact, been trying to cause as little impact as possible, if only so that their foreknowledge would have some use to them. This mission... What Naruto was going to try in this mission was to deliberately not stick to events as they had happened last time. Sort of. After a point. Well, some things worked out well the first time anyway, and why fix what isn't broken?

Naruto savored the sight of that cat getting smothered by Shijimi-dono. While he could understand why Tora kept running away, that didn't excuse why it behaved so well towards Sakura and neutrally towards Sasuke but took every opportunity it could to claw him up whenever he went near.

He was just lucky he healed quickly and without scars.

Sandaime cleared his throat before consulting the scroll of available D-ranks for Team Seven.

"Let's see, for Team Seven today... hm." What was suitable for a fresh genin team? "Watching over Yojyu-sama's son... A grocery run to the next town... Helping dig up-" Naruto interjected slightly less rudely than he had originally.

"Oi, Oyaji, don't you have any C-rank missions for us to do? Like an escort mission or something out of the village?" That didn't mean he was any less blunt about it. Sasuke, for his part, agreed. Surely there was a more productive and challenging use of his time than D-ranks? "I mean, we've been a genin team for weeks now, can't we do something more challenging than, what? Digging up potatoes? Come on, there must be bandits or nukenin or something we can fight!"

Kakashi blinked. Nukenin?

"Oi, oi, Naruto, don't be quite so hasty. You know how mission rankings work, right?"

"That's why I'm saying this! Genin can go on C-ranks, right? That's not too much to ask, is it!"

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. Naruto was being far too reasonable. Perhaps he was trying to get what he was after by using an approach that would throw his opponents off-guard? That being the case, then far be it from Sarutobi to penalise such cunning. Still, maybe he could give Naruto what he wanted, while still putting him off from jumping on something because of the hype. He cast a quick glance over the C-rank scroll. It didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi, and Sarutobi nodded imperceptibly. So, Naruto wanted an "exciting" C-rank, did he? An escort mission, was it? Sarutobi had the perfect mission to demonstrate just how dull C-ranks could be as well.

"Very well, Naruto. If you feel you're ready for a C-rank mission, I don't see any reason why not. An... escort mission you wanted, was it? I think I have the perfect option."

Hesitant at first, Naruto slowly warmed up to the idea that Sarutobi had agreed. "Y-You do? Then, then, who are we escorting? A noble? A businessman?"

"Take it easy. I'll introduce him now." To the door behind them, he said, "I've found you a team. You can come in now." The door slid open. An old man in workman's garb stumbled in, a bottle in hand and a definite tinge of red to his face that suggested mild inebriation.

"What? They're a bunch of kids!" Naruto regarded the sight of Tazuna with mixed feelings. On the one hand, this was the exact mission he'd been angling for. On the other hand, there was a nagging little voice at the back of his mind that, strangely, sounded like Neji, that kept repeating, FATE FATE FATE FATE FATE.

The old man took another swig from the bottle before speaking again. "Hey, is the shortest one with the stupid face there really a ninja?"

Naruto twitched. Yep. That was definitely Tazuna.

* * *

><p>Team Seven assembled at the Main Gate, Naruto arriving second, just after Kakashi, already there with Tazuna.<p>

Wait, what? Kakashi was on time? Did that happen last time? Sakura arrived just behind him, and the fact that Kakashi was there first only seemed to register when she noticed Naruto staring dumbstruck at their jounin-sensei.

"Eh? Kakashi-sensei is here already...? Oh no!" She immediately started to panic, and began bowing repeatedly. "I'm late, aren't I! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was taking so long to get ready! I don't know how I could have been so absent-minded, I-!"

"S-Sakura..." She looked up to see an exasperated Kakashi trying to placate her. "You're not late. I just arrived on time for this mission."

"Eh?"

"Maybe all the black cats in the village ran off, while the old ladies' shopping trips aren't until tomorrow, sensei?" Naruto's smug grin left no room for interpretation as he recounted some of Kakashi's favorite excuses.

"That... may be so."

Oddly, Sasuke was the one who was least subtle about it when he showed up. Maybe he was just peeved at being the last to arrive. "You've been late to every single training session and misson we've ever had. You have been doing this since technically before the three of us even became genin." He smirked, "Perhaps you've finally learned the intricacies of the road of life after getting lost on it so many times?" Or maybe he was just as annoyed with his jounin-sensei's inconsistencies as the rest of them.

"...Shall we move on and get started with the mission?" Kakashi did not like the suspicious look Tazuna was giving him. Losing the client's faith in his ability before the mission even started was not a good omen.

They'd been along the road for a couple of hours now, and so far it had been rather quiet. His genin were enjoying the peace, though it was more likely that they just didn't think any threat would make itself known. Consequently, it fell to Kakashi to keep an eye out for trouble.

Which meant no lovely orange book to pass the time. Ah, the sacrifices a teacher must make...

A chain suddenly appeared, wrapping around Kakashi. Just as suddenly, the two chuunin wielding it appeared either side.

"First one!"

The chain pulled taut, shredding the jounin wrapped within it's coils. Before any of the genin could react, the two attackers had appeared behind their second victim, clad as he was in bright orange. Naruto didn't move. Even once they were right behind him, he seemingly didn't react at all.

"Second one." The chain rose, ready to wrap its second victim in a lethal embrace.

Sparks flew, a shuriken digging into a link and embedding into a tree. A kunai found it's target in both, further enhancing the grip the tree held on the chain. Changing their priorities, the anonymous duo moved to attack the quick-acting genin, only to find themselves held by their own weapon. Naruto's saviour landed on the gauntlets connected by this chain, quickly turning his landing into a double attack.

Team Seven's assailants were momentarily distracted by the respective foot in each of their faces, and Naruto smiled calmly.

Just as quick as they had been countered, the two nukenin separated from their chain and split up, one feinting towards their target before returning to strike at Naruto's blindspot, the other following through on his attack on the old man. Sakura responded, drawing a kunai and moving to defend Tazuna, placing herself between the client and the threat to his life. Sasuke immediately put himself in front of both of them, fully expecting to take the hit.

"Sasuke-kun, don't!"

An orange blur rebounded off the ground and intersected with the enemy's throat before that could happen. Naruto's foot, with the force of all his body mass behind it, landed squarely on target just below the larynx. The enemy made quite the surprised strangled sound, though needless to say, all parties were rather surprised, including the second enemy who was currently still moving on Naruto's current position, from which he hadn't moved an inch this entire time. His attention returned to his target long enough to watch him grin fiercely and utter a single word.

"Boom."

Then he exploded. Yeah. That was unexpected.

He stumbled backwards out of the cloud of dust kicked up by the explosion. His ears were ringing, he could barely see or stand, but he was a kiri-nin. While his heart was still beating, he could still fight.

"Y...You ba-" His curse was cut short by a blow to the neck from Kakashi.

"Oh...? Good job, you three. I didn't even have to step in." He glanced at the unconscious nukenin at his feet. "Well, at least not to any relevant extent. Naruto, Sasuke," He addressed his two male genin, "Good work neutralising the enemy. Oh, and Sakura? You can drop the genjutsu now." Sakura smiled sheepishly as she and Tazuna shimmered out of sight and then back into vision a few feet to the left.

"You saw it through it, then?"

As expected of a jounin, I guess... Not that Kakashi-sensei really gives that impression.

Kakashi, for his part, was mildly impressed by all three of them. They'd all reacted well, with Sasuke immediately capitalising on the assailants' underestimating him to catch them off-guard. Naruto then took advantage of Sasuke's attack to replace himself with a clone, while Sakura had also taken advantage of that same opportunity to use genjutsu to conceal both herself and the client. Image displacement wasn't an incredibly advanced technique, but it was still trickier than completely replacing the subject's perceptions and it spoke well of both her and her teacher that she'd learned it already.

I owe Kurenai a thank-you drink when we get back.

In short, they were all skilled in both combat techniques and at taking advantage of the enemy's lapses in concentration. Still, there was the matter of why they had the opportunity to prove themselves so early. It seemed that Tazuna was not being entirely truthful.

"Well, in any case, I'll just rope these two up for retrieval, but before that... Tazuna-san,"

The old bridgewright started. "Y-Yes?"

"I need to talk to for a bit." He paused as the jounin's words sank in. "Well, let me just take care of these two first."

A few minutes later, and the two Demon Bros. were tied up to a tree and awake, silently glaring at the four ninja and one civilian standing in front of them.

"These two are chuunin from Kirigakure, whose ninja are renowned for continuing to fight. No matter the cost."

"How could you predict our attack?"

"It hasn't rained for over a week, and today is bright and sunny, so there shouldn't be a puddle of water on the road. However, I will admit that it was clever of you set up after that river. We'd just passed a bunch of water, so an unobservant person wouldn't think anything of a little more."

"Oh, so that was them? I only thought it was weird that there'd be a puddle on a day like this." Naruto nodded to himself, while his teammates just flushed ever so slightly.

I didn't even think anything of it...

"If you knew that, then why did you let your genin fight?"

"Honestly, if it was necessary, I could have killed them before they made themselves known. However, I first needed to know who their target was." Tazuna didn't even have to feign confusion. He honestly was confused. Kakshi decided to explain further. "In other words, was it someone from our group being targeted, or our client?" There were in fact three people in Team Seven who could, potentially, be the target of an assassination attempt. The name Uchiha was well-known in the world, as was the fact that Sasuke was the last still alive and loyal to Konoha. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that another village would seek to permanently rid Konoha of the Sharingan. Kakashi himself, as the Copycat Ninja, had evoked great wrath outside of Konoha, and in no small number. Most worrying would have been Naruto: If anyone outside of Konoha knew of his status as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and acted upon it, that would have implied a disastrous intelligence leak, and one that took precedent over a C-rank escort mission. Kakashi would have been forced to default on the mission and recall Team Seven to Konoha to report on that possibility.

However, it was their client, Tazuna, who had been targeted. The Demon Brothers had initally targeted the greatest threat in the group and then sought to quickly eliminate as many others of the ninja escort as possible. At the first sign of resistance, however, they had immediately switched target priority to Tazuna, presumably to accomplish the mission with a minimum of friendly casualties.

It seemed the old man had not been very honest with Konoha.

"Tazuna-san, we had not heard anything about you being targeted by ninja. The request was to protect you from opportunistic armed groups like bandits and thieves. Our job is just to support and protect you until you complete the bridge."

"If we had known that we would definitely be facing ninja, this mission would have been the more expensive B-rank. You may have had your reasons, but ultimately, lying about mission parameters just causes trouble for us. This wasn't part of the mission." Kakashi paused then, examining his genin. Sakura looked like she was trying to say something, but wasn't sure exactly what. Sasuke was as sullen as he always was, and Naruto... was also sullen, surprisingly.

Time to get a feel of where they are.

"Well, I think maybe this mission is out of the league of a trio of fresh genin. Maybe we should head ba-"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's interruption sounded angry, and to be fair, he looked mighty angry, too. "This is our first mission outside Konoha, misranking or not. If you order us back to the village, to abandon Tazuna-san because of a technicality, when we're not even one day out..." He locked eyes with Kakashi and the jounin was acutely aware that Naruto was completely serious. "I'll never forgive you."

Sakura stared in awe. When did Naruto become this cool?

Kakashi did not show any reaction, matching Naruto's glare and giving the air of refusing to back down. Without looking away, he asked, "Sakura? Sasuke? Do the two of you feel the same?"

Sakura's response held no doubt in her voice. "Hai, sensei!"

Sasuke scoffed slightly, before answering just as certain. "Of course."

Kakashi made a show of accepting defeat, shoulders slumping and a great sigh escaping him. "Well, then... I guess since this doesn't really change our mission parameters, the mission is still on."

Naruto's happy smile at that moment was almost blinding.

* * *

><p>So it was that Team Seven and their client found themselves walking through a forest on the largest island of Wave Country, en route to Tazuna's home. Kakashi was lamenting the obvious implications of having someone as rich as Gatou involved.<p>

When they attack again, it won't be chuunin-level ninja like the Demon Brothers, but a jounin-level assassin. His shoulders slumped as he considered that he'd have to engage such an enemy alone. Team Seven did well in their first fight, but they wouldn't be anywhere near a match for a jounin.

Still, he thought, as he examined his genin students. At least they're all behaving far more cautiously than before, and they've got their guard up well enou-

His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden presence to their left. His head shifted imperceptibly in that direction, but he thought he caught Naruto doing the same. The presence was gone almost as soon as he had noticed, but he was certain he hadn't imagined it. It seemed they had a visitor... and had Naruto noticed too?

There was only a brief moment of something like respite before a new presence made itself known.

Different. Stronger.

Bloodthirsty.

"Everyone, get down!"

Just as they did, a zanbato roared overhead, spinning through the air until it sank into a tree ahead of them. The sword's owner quickly appeared, standing on it's grip.

Kakashi instantly took note of the casual stance, the calculating gaze, and the complete confidence at balancing on a sword's grip. This was a jounin, all right. The sword, too, was recognisable.

Damn it.

He moved forward, trying to separate himself from his team and present himself as the single necessary target.

"Oh, my, my! If it isn't Kirigakure's nukenin, Momochi Zabuza-kun!"

Naruto didn't take his eyes off of Zabuza. Combat situations were inherently chaotic, and he couldn't trust them to remain the same as last time. That said, he was going to try the same strategy as before. It had worked, and there was no reason that his opponent would foresee it either.

"Sasuke, Sakura... You guys have noticed too, right?" Sakura didn't quite understand what he was referring to, but Sasuke nodded.

"Naruto's right, you two. This guy's much different to the two you dealt with before. Stand back, or you'll just get in the way." Zabuza raised a hairless eyebrow in response to Kakashi's confirmation. The Demon Brothers had been dispatched by genin, and not the jounin? Interesting.

Kakashi had quickly taken stock of his options. This would almost certainly come down to a fight. The question was whether or not he could allow his genin to help in the fight. While they had certainly displayed prowess beyond what he was expecting, even managing to actually 'beat' him in the bell test, in all fairness, he had not been actively trying to kill them. While the Demon Brothers had, they were still only chuunin, and had not been killed. None of Team Seven had broken the mental barrier necessary in order to kill. Zabuza had, and to the point that he likely no longer had such a barrier.

Kakashi could not allow his students to fight someone like that, not yet. He would have to deal with Zabuza alone.

And if this is our enemy, he concluded, his hand moving to his hitai-ite, I can't win like this.

"I'm guessing you're Sharingan Kakashi." Zabuza drawled, "It's too bad for you, but I'll be taking the old man." Kakashi did not miss Sasuke's reaction to his teacher's epithet.

Damn it.

"You three, manji formation. Protect Tazuna-san. Do not get involved in the battle." He lifted the cloth and steel covering his friend's memento. "None of you are a match for our opponent. To not get involved in the fight... is also a form of teamwork."

I'll be using your sight again, Obito.

"I'll be fighting him."

Now he had Zabuza's attention.

"Oh? So I get to see the Sharingan I've heard so much about. What an honor." Kakashi didn't react, Obito's Sharingan locked onto his enemy. "Still, how lucky for me... I get to fight one of the scariest names in my bingo book: the man who's stolen over a thousand techniques, the Copy-ninja Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi still didn't bother to move, though he could still sense Sasuke's stare boring into him, trying to figure out why he had something that only Uchiha should possess.

That boy's going to want answers later.

Mist slowly built up around the area, thickening to obscure visibility slightly and rendering all color to a pastel shade.

"Well, let's just cut to the matter at hand, eh? I'll be needing to kill the old man quickly." Kunai out, Team Seven quickly assumed the formation Kakashi had ordered of them around Tazuna, placing themselves between him and the threat, with Kakashi positioned in front of all four of them, still facing Zabuza. "Looks like I'll have to beat you first, huh, Kakashi?" He pulled his sword out of the tree, blurring out of sight. With the mist, even Kakashi momentarily lost sight of him. The sound of water gave him away easily enough, though.

Standing on the water's surface, Zabuza's arms were held in a seal unfamiliar to Kakashi, but instantly recognisable as a ninjutsu due to how much chakra was being infused into the water.

"Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu." He disappeared from sight, the mist thickening beyond any natural level and obscuring everything nearly completely.

Kakashi moved to position himself between his students and Zabuza's last position. It was doubtful it would stop the nukenin, but it was at least reassuring to the client to have an additional physical barrier between him and brutal death.

"He'll probably try to kill me first, but..."

"Sensei, who is he?" Sakura asked.

"Momochi Zabuza. He's a former ANBU from Kirigakure, famous for his silent killing technique, executed in an instant and in absolute silence. It's completely possible that you'll be dead before you even realise it, and I can't use my Sharingan effectively in this mist. Don't let your guard down." His genin let his words sink in completely, and he could sense their anxiety. "Still, if you fail, you're only going to die."

"How carefree!" Sakura objected. Good. Annoyance was better than anxiety in this situation.

The mist continued to thicken. Soon Team Seven could not even see their teacher through the thick white fog. Zabuza's voice rang out through the air, seemingly from all directions.

"Eight points." The genin tensed, prepared for an attack. Zabuza had something more insidious in mind. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, axillary artery, kidneys, heart. Which one should I strike?"

Enough of this, Kakashi thought. He released a quick burst of chakra to clear the fog momentarily. Zabuza's annoyance at that transferred over into bloodlust, blanketing the area and clashing with Kakashi's own, probing, killing intent, seeking an enemy. That clash did not go unnoticed. Tazuna was only barely sensitive to such things, noting only an increased sense of unease, but to the genin guarding him...

Naruto was largely unaffected. He'd dealt with far worse in his time, though there was always an inescapably unsettling quality to the killing intent of someone who apparently wanted you dead just to see you bleed.

Sakura felt sick. The oppressive feeling of being hunted, of being at the mercy of one completely prepared to kill you without hesitation...

Sasuke was worst off, sweating profusely at the palpable sense of impending murder in the air. It evoked similarities to memories he had tried to repress, too many similarities, calling forth feelings that he never wanted to experience again. If he spent an hour in this atmosphere, he'd go insane.

...Foolish little brother...

That feeling of having his life in someone else's hands...

...You are not worth killing...

No. He'd die before he felt that again. He'd kill himself before he allowed himself to feel that helpless again!

"Sasuke." Kakashi's voice sudden broke into his thoughts, staying his hand. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone in my team die." The jounin turned to smile at all three of them. It seemed to calm them enough that-

"I wonder about that..." The shock as Team Seven and their client realised that Zabuza was right in the middle of their formation, and had got there without their knowledge was visible. His arm held his blade poised. A single sweep would be enough to kill all four people around him. "It's over."

In the next instant, Kakashi had struck, his kunai buried deep into Zabuza's left flank, enough so to tear through his intestines and pierce the kidney behind them. It was a fatal wound, possibly immediately so if he had caught an artery as well. Kakashi was stoic as he felt warm liquid flow over his hands, unfazed by the sound of it beginning to pool on the ground.

That liquid, however, was much clearer than one would expect it to be.

The water clone destabilised as Zabuza emerged from the mists behind his target.

"DIE!"

The massive blade swung, tearing the jounin in half. Zabuza smirked as he watched the scattering droplets of... clear water?

Water clone technique? He couldn't have copied it in this mist...?

A kunai at his throat convinced him otherwise.

"Don't move." Kakashi stood behind him, holding that kunai. "It's over."

His genin were suitably impressed by their teacher's prowess, it seemed. All three watched the plateau with awe as Kakashi held Zabuza cold.

The mist began to clear slightly.

Zabuza scoffed. "It's over? You don't get it... Your monkey-see, monkey-do antics can't beat me. I assure you. But that was impressive."

The mist continued to thin, allowing the students a clearer view of their sensei and his captive.

"When you said you wouldn't let your students die, you'd already copied my Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu, and had your own clone speak to call my attention to it as genui-"

"Sensei! That's a water clone too!"

"Correct!" The Zabuza clone growled as it reverted to water, the original appearing behind Kakashi sooner than he would have liked, his blade already swinging to make up the distance.

"I'm not so easy to beat, Copy-ninja!"

Kakashi easily ducked the swing, Zabuza charging closer after the follow-up. Kakashi had been given ample time to prepare for his attack, though, and the two of them began fighting in close-quarters in earnest. Even so, behind his face wrapping, Zabuza spared a thought to a minor distraction.

That orange brat was able to see through my bunshin once he got a clear look at it, eh? Interesting.

The two jounin were evenly matched. Kakashi had the advantage of the Sharingan and a slight edge in speed, but as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza had skill and not a little brutality on his side. Kakashi was fighting to cleanly incapacitate his opponent by any means necessary. Zabuza was fighting to murder him. There was also the matter of footing. Kakashi was trying to move the fight away from his genin, while Zabuza was trying to take them onto the water, where he would have another advantage.

Unfortunately, those two goals happened to be in the same direction.

It can't be helped, Kakashi mused. I can't allow this fight to stay this close to those four. I'll just have to deal with him over the water.

The two jounin continued to draw closer to the water's edge as they fought, killing intent and steel clashing in equal measure. A particularly daring strike from Kakashi later and the two of them were now clashing upon the lake, neither letting up, neither giving the other enough time to form a ninjutsu.

With his kunai locked against Zabuza's much larger blade, Kakashi was hard at work trying to implant a genjutsu using Obito's Sharingan. It was tough, getting the necessary chakra and concentration to do so in this kind of fight... Then Zabuza smirked.

He let the chakra flow to his feet stop suddenly, and slipped underwater with a splash. Kakashi nearly unintentionally followed him as he was suddenly pushing against air. He quickly recovered from his overbalance, and quickly scanned the water beneath him.

No good. This mist of his is making it impossible to see clearly into the water. I doubt he did that just so he could run away... What is he planning? A surprise attack, maybe? No, too obviou-

Zabuza interrupted that thought when he erupted from the water behind him, his Kubikiri Houchou raised high for a surprise attack. Kakashi immediately reacted, blocking the blow by grabbing his opponents' wrists, and driving his kunai deep between Zabuza's ribs.

The Mizu Bunshin disintegrated from the blow, showering Kakashi in water.

"You fell for it." He turned enough to see Zabuza out of the corner of his eye before, "Suirou no Jutsu!"

Kakashi took stock of his options, trapped within the sphere while Zabuza gloated. "You're a pain when you're moving around freely. This should keep you out of trouble until I complete my objectives. Don't worry," He smirked, "We'll finish our fun later." Zabuza turned to the genin tightly scattered around the path leading to the lake. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." The clone formed, hunched over, in front of them. It clumsily stumbled onto land, its dexterity improving as Zabuza adjusted to controlling it and maintaining the Suirou at the same time. As it straightened up, it began speaking for the original.

"The three of you wear those hitai-ite like you think you're ninja. A real ninja is someone who has experienced numerous life and death situations. When you show up in my bingo book, then you can call yourselves ninja." A half-seal was formed, the mist thickening to conceal the clone.

Naruto took a hit out of nowhere, only able to half-block the attack and sent flying back as the clone reappeared.

"You're still just kids."

"So what?" Naruto pulled himself to his feet, fierce defiance plastered over his face. "Throwing around the word 'ninja' like you're the only one in the world... Don't make me laugh! If it's your bingo book, then put this in there, you no-browed asshole! The man who will become Hokage: Konoha ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!" He turned to his team, "Are you ready, guys?"

"So you figured it out, too?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course. Even if we run now for Tazuna's sake, there's no reason he won't track us down later."

"In other words, our only chance is to somehow free Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"And to do that, we need to beat that no-brows bastard." Naruto grinned, "How lucky I have a plan. Sasuke. Be ready." His teammate nodded.

Zabuza chuckled. "The three of you seem quite confident. But really, do any of you actually have a chance?"

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Naruto countered.

Zabuza cocked his head at that. "You're still pretending to be ninja? You don't get it, do you? When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood."

"Kishin Zabuza." Kakashi spoke up from within his prison.

Zabuza didn't spare his prisoner a glance. "So you'd heard of me." Kakashi turned to his genin, and began to exposit on the source of Zabuza's name.

"A while ago, the Village Hidden in the Mist was known as the Bloody Mist, because of a certain obstacle that existed in order to become a ninja."

This time Zabuza did spare him a look. "You know about the old graduation test."

"Graduation...? Wait, I think I know about..." Sakura began. Hadn't this been in a history text on the other villages?

Zabuza interrupted her. "A brat like you? I doubt it. The final test was students being forced to kill one another. Friends who have eaten from the same pot are paired off and forced to fight each other to the death. This was done with those who have helped one another, shared dreams and fought side-by-side for each other." Kakashi picked up the slack after Zabuza finished.

"Ten years ago, Kirigakure had to implement a reformation, because the previous year, a demon had appeared that finally decided things." Zabuza had gone silent. "A young boy who had not even been granted the right to become a ninja, killed the hundred strong graduating class that year, by himself, without any hesitation." Kakashi turned back to Zabuza as he finished, and both the clone and the original confirmed the implication, the nightmarish drawl sounding in stereo.

"Yeah... That was fun..."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto had decided to try to capitalise on his opponent's distraction.

"Oh? Kage Bunshin, is it? There's quite a few of them, too."

It seems he's skilled with its use. That must be how he was able to spot my own bunshin earlier.

"But, even something like this won't be enough to defeat me. So long as you keep pretending to be ninja-"

"So what?" Zabuza's hand rested on the hilt of his zanbato when Naruto interrupted him. "I said, so what? For everyone and everything, even you..." The clones and the original alike directed killing intent towards the nukenin. "There's always a first time."

Zabuza grinned under his facial wrapping. "That's some nice bloodlust there, kid. But can you really follow through on it?"

The mob of orange said nothing, leaping to the attack. They landed on the jounin, trying to crush him under their combined weight as well as trying to work a multitude of kunai past his defenses. It didn't work.

"Cocky brat, aren't you!" The zanbato swung up and around, dislodging the kage bunshin swarm from the water clone's person. Those clones that didn't dispel immediately from the force of the strike went skidding along the ground, a few of them dispelling from the accumulation of friction.

One remaining, presumably the original, dug in his pack desperately. When he had what he needed, he threw it towards his teammate with a cry to get his attention.

Sasuke caught the compressed fuuma shuriken in one hand, noting the momentary burst of warmth against his fingers before the customary feeling of cold steel returned. He realised what Naruto's plan was immediately and smirked, the blades unfolding into their characteristic windmill shape.

Zabuza raised an invisible eyebrow. "Just one shuriken won't work on me."

Sasuke leapt into the air before launching the tool of death at his target. The water clone followed his movement, ready to block or destroy the attack... only to see it soar straight past him, flying towards the true Zabuza who still held Kakashi prisoner.

"Too easy."

He caught the blades by their centre handle, before a second shuriken appeared behind the first.

Kage Shuriken no Jutsu?

"Still too easy!"

He leapt over the whirling blades of death easily, letting them pass underneath harmlessly. It continued on past him, now not quite useless. Naruto revealed himself in a puff of smoke and killing intent, and just to make sure Zabuza noticed him, he yelled out as well.

"How's this for following through?" He hurled a kunai at the nukenin from behind. Time seemed to slow down for Zabuza as his mind went through his options, and how he could possibly counter this new attack without releasing his jounin prisoner. He briefly considered just taking the hit, but the genin was too good a shot. The knife would still have sufficient velocity to penetrate deep enough to cause a serious wound no matter where it struck him if he only tried to minimise damage without cancelling the suirou. If that happened, he might lose concentration long enough to lose his hold on the suirou and the mizu bunshin, which would leave him injured, distracted and forced to deal with a newly free Kakashi. There was only one real option.

Zabuza released the suirou as Naruto's kunai flew past his face. The knife penetrated the mizu bunshin and the water disintegrated. Zabuza spun to face the genin who had screwed with his plans so brazenly. Even now, suspended in midair as he fell towards the lake surface, he had an infuriatingly cocky expression on his face. If he moved quickly enough, he could cut him down with his own shuriken before Kakashi could recov-

The blades came to halt against a metal-backed glove. Dripping wet, Kakashi raised his head to lock eyes with Zabuza. A focused burst of killing intent rolled over Zabuza as Kakashi's Sharingan bored into him.

Naruto burst into smoke when he hit the water's surface.

Sakura and Sasuke turned to the real one on the ground beside them. They didn't even have to say it, their faces' blank expressions were enough. Naruto just grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up.

"More importantly, shouldn't we be guarding Tazuna-san?"

Zabuza twitched slightly in annoyance. These brats were more trouble than he'd given them credit for. He'd assumed that the Demon Brothers had been sloppy when he heard they'd been beaten by just the genin, but it was looking like they'd only made the same mistake he had. He tried to laugh it off.

"I saw red for a minute there and let you go-"

"Wrong. It's not that you chose to let me go..." Kakashi cut him off. "You were forced to." The Jounin didn't break his gaze while he continued, "More importantly... The same trick won't catch me out twice." That unblinking red stare of his was unnerving. "What will you do now?"

* * *

><p>Zabuza slammed against the tree trunk, pinned there momentarily by water pressure before the torrent subsided and drained away back into the lake. As he slumped forward, four kunai found their mark in his arms and legs, bringing a cry of pain and a sharp return to conscious thought. He turned to the Konoha jounin who had just landed upon a branch above him.<p>

What was that? What had he done? How could he have kept up with me, not just copying, but... matching my movements with perfect timing. Not even that, but beating my timing at the end.

Could it have been...?

"How...?"

Impossible! Yet it had happened... Could that be the Sharingan's true power?

"Can you see the future?"

"Yeah." Kakashi lifted a kunai. "You're going to die."

It was right then that two senbon struck Zabuza in the neck.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"It's true... He died."

Kakashi looked up from Zabuza's corpse, having just confirmed the nukenin's death. There was no pulse, at least none that he could find, and the senbon in his neck had not struck any near-death points that he knew of. He examined the newcomer as casually as he could. They were wearing what appeared to be a thick, dull orange robe worn loosely under some kind of gi. It had multiple places to hide weapons or could be used to obfuscate movement without hindering it. That wasn't what drew Kakashi's greatest concern. It was the smooth, wave-patterned mask bearing the symbol of Kirigakure over the forehead that did that.

The stranger bowed slightly. "You have my utmost thanks. I have been looking for an opportunity to kill him."

"If I recall correctly, that mask identifies you as one of Kirigakure's oi-nin."

They straightened up quickly. "As expected... You are quite well-informed." From the voice pitch, height and build, they weren't that much older than his genin. Yet, already an oi-nin? "Yes, I am a part of the unit which hunts nukenin from Kirigakure."

This was no ordinary kid.

Speaking of his genin, they'd shown up already, with Tazuna in tow. All four of them seemed rather shocked at the sight of Zabuza's lifeless body. Two of them looked particularly incensed, and one of those two decided to act upon it, walking forward angrily.

Naruto looked between the corpse on the ground and the young oi-nin on the tree in front of him. It wasn't until they tilted their head to face him that he finally exploded, pointing an accusing finger at them.

"Who the hell are you?" His team-mates and client made sounds of confusion, while Kakashi blinked. The Oi-nin didn't respond to him. "Who are you!"

"Naruto. It's fine, he's not an enemy." Kakashi tried to calm his student down before he did something stupid.

"I don't care about that!" He swept his hand over to where Zabuza lay dead. "Zabuza was just killed! And by who!" He pointed back at the oi-nin, still somehow an accusatory action, "A tool! A tool of Kirigakure! They don't even let him have a face! To them, he's not a person! Maybe even to himself, he's not a person! How can someone like that have done what was so hard for us?" Kakashi walked up to stand beside his frustrated student.

So, that's what's bothering him.

"It even looks like, under that mask, he's not even that different from me!" He turned to his teacher, "We look like idiots! I can't accept this!"

"I suppose I can understand how it would be difficult for you to accept... But, this is reality. As ninja, we are expected to kill our humanity and act as tools to find strength. And in this world, there are kids younger than you... and stronger than me." He glanced at Sasuke as he said that, and sure enough, the young Uchiha's thoughts immediately went to his brother, who had become an ANBU captain at thirteen.

And Naruto's problem... Kakashi supposed he could understand. After fighting for so long to get people to recognise him as a person, he's just realised he's being asked to throw that away for the sake of being a ninja.

The oi-nin moved from the branch using some kind of shunshin technique. He hefted Zabuza's corpse over his shoulder, announcing his intent to dispose of the body. It wouldn't do to have someone from another village observe precisely what he intended to preserve and what he intended to destroy.

"Then, I shall excuse myself." That same shunshin was performed and both oi-nin and ex-nukenin disappeared in howling winds. Kakashi's shoulders slumped as he re-covered Obito's sharingan. He couldn't sense the oi-nin's presence anymore. That was no guarantee, but since they had Zabuza's body with them, it would have been difficult to remain stealthy enough that they could observe without notice.

Naruto walked over to the tree Zabuza had died against.

"They're not here anymore, Naruto."

Naruto knew that. He placed his hand up against the trunk, and began shaking, his frustration getting the better of him.

Calm down, damn it. Focus on something else. Breathe. Air. Wind. As thin...

Chakra gathered in his palm.

And as sharp as you can... Like Asuma said.

"Our mission hasn't ended yet." Kakashi announced, "We still have to take Tazuna-san to his home." Naruto hadn't said anything since resting his hand on that tree. The old man chose that moment to try to relieve the tension, forcing his own good humor and making an attempt at blasé.

"Everyone, I'm really sorry about all this! Well, come on and make yourselves at home at my place!" Kakashi cottoned on. While not quite as... enthusiastic as Tazuna, he tried to cheer up his genin.

"All right. Everyone, let's go!"

He took less than three steps before collapsing face first. Most of Team Seven clamored around him, anxiously asking what was wrong. Naruto sighed, releasing the chakra in his palm then, leaving a thin, clean wound through the tree trunk. He moved over to his unconscious sensei, and lifted him up by the shoulder.

"Oi, Sasuke, give me a hand here?" Rather confused by Naruto's calm, he did so.

"You know what's wrong with him?"

"Probably chakra exhaustion. It's happened to me a couple of times when I train."

Sasuke's face turned to him sharply. "You-!"

"Hm?"

Sasuke shook his head and turned away. "No, nothing. Never mind." Naruto was working himself to the point of chakra exhaustion? Even with his insane stamina? If the idiot is training that hard, then maybe...

Naruto's thoughts took a different route to Sasuke's, his jaw set as the two of them carried Kakashi together. He was not going to let things happen the same way from now on. They'd let things happen mostly as before, and the few changes they had made didn't seem to be causing much difference, but now? Now lives were at stake at the immediate moment. If things happened as before, both Haku and Zabuza were going to die. Haku, at the least, didn't deserve that. Zabuza... maybe. It had taken losing Haku and being at death's door himself before he finally admitted what he was doing wrong.

Naruto had long ago resolved to, this time, end this mission with Haku still alive. Zabuza, if he could be saved, would be, but Naruto doubted the nukenin could do so without either losing Haku or dying himself.

* * *

><p>Kakashi's head hurt. While this was not the reason he eventually woke up, it was the reason why he did not immediately slip back into unconsciousness. He slowly opened his eye.<p>

So I overdid it with the Sharingan, after all?

Great kami, he was exhausted. It felt like every cell in his body needed sleep. Obito's eye was not being agreeable with him in the slightest. Granted, it had always been draining to use, but it had never been dangerously so until after he'd unlocked it's third tomoe. If this kept up, he was going to end up in serious trouble one day.

"So, are you all right, Sensei?" That wasn't one of his students. He considered the young woman's question nonetheless. Was he all right? He tried moving.

His body quite vividly made known its objection to this course of action.

"No. My body can barely move. I think it'll be stuck like this for a week." A week at least. The first time this happened, he'd been taken unawares and was actually hospitalised for that long. It was another three weeks before he'd returned to active duty. He'd been careful since then, but...

Damn it, Obito, you're still just as obstinate after all these years.

He tried sitting up in the futon, only to receive the woman's chiding, "Then you shouldn't be moving around, now should you, sensei?"

This woman was a mother, Kakashi immediately concluded from her well-practised disapproving tone of voice.

"Of... of course." He lay back down. He could always experiment to find the exact extent of the damage later. When this woman wasn't around, preferably. Who was she? Some relation of Tazuna's?

His students chose that moment to appear with Tazuna. They gathered around his bedside, speaking of the close call they had just escaped from. Tazuna even commented on how much safer he felt knowing that the fearsome jounin after his life was now dead.

Kakashi didn't bother pointing out that there were other nukenin that Gatou could potentially hire, either just as deadly as Zabuza or possibly (though unlikely) even more so. There was also something about that, too. Something about how that fight had ended irked him, just niggling at the back of his mind, taunting him just out of reach.

He ran it through in his mind, even as he explained about ANBU oi-nin to his genin, the client and the woman who was the client's daughter.

The boy, one of Kiri's oi-nin, had waited for Zabuza to let down his guard before killing him. That in itself was not strange. Oi-nin typically preferred to shadow their targets and learn as much as they could about their dealings and any secrets they might have leaked before finally taking them down, but an opportunity like being paralysed and distracted couldn't just be passed up.

The method of killing, however, was slightly strange. Senbon were clean, precise tools of death, and often used for silent assassinations, but why use a method that favored stealth over certainty in this case? More importantly, the apparent target, an instant-death point on the neck, was too small for even a master senbon-user to safely rely on it as an instant kill: a ninjutsu or even just getting right up in Zabuza's face to deliver the final blow would have had a higher chance of success, and just by interfering at all, the oi-nin had announced his presence to Team Seven. Of course, killing someone by stabbing them in the neck hardly requires that kind of precision, and affords at least some margin of error.

Strangest of all, though, was the oi-nin's departure with the corpse. Zabuza's corpse was nearly double the boy's size, and it was all dead weight, so to speak. No ninja would so burden themselves unless there was no other choice, and a dead body could easily be held within a storage seal. The fact that the body had been moved at all was odd. All he needed as proof was the head, and standard operating procedure was to dispose of the corpse on-site, so that any traces that had been left by the death nearby could be easily recovered, rather than risking enemy ninja, or worse, civilians, stumbling across village secrets.

...Come to think of it, there was actually quite a lot that didn't fit in that situation.

There was also the matter of their earlier 'visitor'.

Zabuza was still alive, his gut told him. There were a number of flaws in that suspicion, and that the senbon had struck the opposite side of the neck for a near-death state was first among them, but even if there was a slight possiblity, he needed to prepare for it.

"Sensei?" Kakashi looked up from his train of thought. Sakura was looking at him in concern. "You... You look distracted." Kakashi sighed wearily. His students had a right to know his suspicions.

"There is a possibility that Zabuza is still alive."

"But... but you confirmed his death yourself!"

"I did indeed confirm that he had no detectable pulse. However, senbon have a very low fatality rate unless they strike certain critical points on the body, and the oi-nin did not. They are trained to know the human body very well, so while it was risky to rely on such a thing, I don't find it likely that they would have completely missed the necessary area. Not with Zabuza in that state."

"Not only that, but they deliberately overburdened themselves with his corpse when they left." Sasuke pointed out.

Sakura mused, "If they're meant to dispose of the corpse, why would they move it at all?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask. His genin had already followed his line of thought on their own. There was hope for them yet.

"Correct. There are still some holes in this theory, but it appears likely that the 'oi-nin' was one of Zabuza's allies who, in this instance, saved his life."

Tazuna was rather understandably looking for as many of those holes as he could. "You- You're probably just overthinking things. You said yourself that you could be wrong."

"True, I could be wrong, but there's too much that's out of place for me to simply ignore, either. Once a ninja feels something is strange, he needs to prepare before it's too late. That's an iron rule of being a ninja."

Sakura nodded, "Then, sensei, how do we prepare for this before it's too late? I mean, you can't move for a while, so we'll need to do something about it."

We?

"I'm rather surprised to hear you say that, Sakura." Kakashi's tone was not unkind, but mildly teasing nonetheless.

"Y-You may have had problems with him, but we-" She paused. No, not 'we'. "...Naruto and Sasuke were able to help, anyway."

"No, you were right. 'We' helped." She looked at Naruto who had spoken. He smiled at her. "We are Team Seven, Sakura. Wasn't it you who called us three hearts as one?" Sasuke 'hmm'd in assent, and Sakura smiled, faintly blushing at the praise from both of them.

Kakashi chuckled at that. His cute little genin were quickly becoming a good team. Still, while he would have preferred his students come to him of their own initiative for lessons, the situation demanded a quick increase in skill. Looked like he'd be handing them at least one technique on a silver platter.

"Well, Sakura does have a point, I guess. You three, I'll be putting some training to you."

"Why bother?" That drew their attention to the young boy who had just entered.

* * *

><p>Naruto was twitching imperceptibly once Inari was gone. The meeting had gone much as before, with Inari telling them, very matter-of-factly, that anyone who went against Gatou would die, as well as... well.<p>

No such thing as heroes, huh?

Tazuna had, of course, apologised and told them not to mind his grandson. Then, on that awkward note, both he and his daughter had left. Once Tazuna and his relatives were gone, Kakashi turned more serious.

"Naruto. There's something I need to ask you."

"Good." What? "Because there's something I need to ask you too. No," He said to his team as they stood to leave, "I want you guys here as well. You should hear the answer too." Excepting looks of slight curiosity, they sat back down without complaint, and Naruto turned back to Kakashi sitting up in his futon.

"What did you want to know?"

"Sensei, killing is... hard. Isn't it?"

Naruto had killed before. Well, 'before' before, anyway. If it meant keeping those he cared about safe, he'd do so again, but working through his first kill, after the fact, had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to deal with. He'd gladly face ten 'Madara's all over again than relive that.

Conversely, Sasuke and Sakura were unblooded right now. While Sasuke knew what it was to see death, neither of them knew what it was to take a life, except from the careful phrasing and justification of Academy instructors, wary not to scare off children who were needed as potential combatants.

They needed to know. They needed to hear the unsweetened truth of murder from a jounin.

"Yes. It is," was Kakashi's quiet response.

"What's it like?"

"It's... not an experience I can compare to anything else. Knowing that you've killed another human being, accepting that burden on your shoulders for the first time... There's nothing anyone can do to really prepare for it. It's something that could easily drive you insane."

"Then, how do you deal with it?"

"There are some ways ninja try to cope. The first is the most common and often expected of most of us: becoming blood-simple. Killing so many times that the mental barrier against it just dissolves, and you don't really feel it when you kill. Killing just... becomes easier. It's the easiest way to deal with it, though if you're not careful, you can become very callous about death. You can become very callous about anything when you can do it without thinking.

"The second is not preferable no matter which way you look at it. It's when a ninja starts to enjoy killing, getting off on murder. Becoming addicted to death is not coping, but it's far more common than it should be, which is why I mention it. I'll also mention that Konoha does not tolerate that, not under any circumstance, and if any of you three turn to this, disappointment would be a mild way to describe my feelings on the matter.

"There's a third way, but it's very rare, because it's incredibly difficult to maintain without eventually going insane. Some ninja refuse to allow themselves to become blood-simple. They refuse to allow themselves to... forget, I suppose. To let go of that mental barrier. They force themselves to remember every kill, and to carry that weight of the death they've caused. For these ninja, every kill is like their first. They constantly force themselves to feel the pain of every life they've ever taken. Which is why they're so rare. Doing that, forcing yourself to live with that every moment of every day... It'd be very hard not to go crazy."

"When you say 'rare'..."

"I only ever knew one person who succeeded. I know of a few who tried, but eventually slipped into the more common method. We just couldn't take it."

"So, sensei, that means that you're..."

"I'm blood-simple. I tried following my own teacher's example after he died, but... couldn't." He let them digest that admission before continuing. "I want to make something absolutely clear. Becoming blood-simple is a natural psychological response to killing. It is by no means a mark of failure, and I do not want you beating yourselves up when it happens to you." Naruto opened his mouth to object, but Kakashi cut him off. "Yes, WHEN. If you can handle the more taxing method, well, all right. But I don't want any of you risking permanent mental harm by trying to hold up a burden you can't."

Kakashi sighed as the genin listening took that in. "Now go get some rest. We're starting early tomorrow." They nodded, and got up to retrieve their packs to turn in. "But first, Naruto." He paused, turning back to his teacher. Kakashi waited until he could tell Sakura and Sasuke were out of earshot. "My question to you. Are you in contact with the Kyuubi?" Naruto turned and smiled in response.

"Shut up before I rip your face off, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi's heart almost stopped.

"Just kidding." Naruto stuck out his tongue, "No, I'm not talking with the Kyuubi yet." Kakashi let out his breath in relief.

"Well. That's... that's good to know. Provided, of course, that you're telling the truth..."

"Would I lie to you, sensei?" It was not the first time Naruto had asked this of him, but it was, perhaps, the first time he'd asked sincerely. It was only after Naruto had gone to do Naruto-like things that Kakashi realised exactly how Naruto had answered.

"...'Yet'?"

* * *

><p>"N-Next time! If... If you screw up again next time, you're finished!"<p>

Haku ignored Gatou, his parting threat more to soothe his own ego after having his wrist broken. His hired help left with him. Ugh. Those two... It was mortifying. They weren't worth the trouble of even remembering their names, yet in Zabuza's current condition, they and their amateurish iaijutsu were a possible threat, and consequently had had to be intimidated.

"Haku." Zabuza's voice broke into his protege's thoughts, "That was unnecessary." The nukenin's grip relaxed on the kunai under the sheets as he spoke. They both knew that Haku knew it was there.

"I know. But right now, it's too early to kill Gatou. If we cause a commotion here, they'll pick up our trail again." Haku smiled, "We just have to bear with it for now."

"...True." The short conversation over, Zabuza went back to sleep, to help speed along his convalescence. Haku watched him as he slept, as well as watching over him. Thoughts were allowed to drift in the relative peace, and for some reason, those thoughts went back to what the genin in orange, who could somehow see through Zabuza's water clones, had said.

He had named Haku as a tool. That was exactly what Haku was, and had no problem with that, owing everything to Zabuza. Perhaps, if he hadn't been on that bridge on that day... if he had not found Haku or seen the lonely potential in a young child's eyes...

Haku chased away such thoughts. Thinking on 'what if' or 'what could be' was the path to insanity. Zabuza had granted purpose where there was none. He had given a new life to Haku, who had been simply waiting for the end.

Anything Haku did for him, then, was small payment.

* * *

><p>Sakura yawned, stretching out as she did so. The sounds of construction were everywhere, but despite that, she felt tired. Tazuna watched her with mild irritation. Today was the second day she'd come along, and it was the second day she'd just sat there and not helped. Sure, she was there to protect him, but what could she do against someone like Zabuza? Even last time, she and her team-mates knew and accepted the only chance they had was to free their teacher, so why couldn't she help out a little?<p>

Tazuna sighed. That was hindsight talking. Sure, she didn't stand much of a chance against Zabuza, but there was no guarantee that he was the only assassin up Gatou's sleeve. Just because nothing HAD happened in the two days she'd been here, didn't mean nothing WOULD happen.

"Where's that blond kid and the stuck-up guy?"

"Kakashi-sensei set them a training exercise."

"Not you?"

Sakura drew herself up with some pride, "I've already completed it."

It had been four days since Zabuza's attack, and Kakashi was still recovering under Tsunami's care. Sakura's team-mates had been hidden away in the forest, practising some ninja magic or chakra or whatever that Kakashi had assigned to them. Sakura had been sent to guard him in the meantime, while he worked on the bridge. Speaking of which...

Tazuna looked up towards the very large gap that was the distance still to cover to the other bank.

He squinted, then rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses with his free hand.

Looking at it from the shore, and even from the boat as they passed underneath a few days ago, he could've sworn it was further than that...

He looked again, set down his load and then looked back over what had already been completed. So much farther! The distance yet to go was nothing next to what they'd already accomplished! If they kept going at this pace, they might even be done by the end of the week! He let his eyes drift over his workforce, wondering if they had noticed as well. He picked out one of the foremen and walked over.

"Oi, Giichi!" The man looked up from where he was organising the placement of the next load of girders and smiled as he came nearer.

"Hey, Tazuna... uh, what is it?"

"Well, I was just looking back over what we've managed so far, and... maybe it's just me, but does it look like we've done more than you thought?" Giichi blinked, confused.

"Tazuna, are you okay?"

"Look, can you just take a look and let me know if my eyes are getting worse or not?" Giichi shrugged and looked back over the completed section of bridge. He blinked. He squinted. He pulled off a glove and rubbed at his eyes with his now bare hand.

"You know... now you mention it. The distance doesn't really look all that much when you look at it from the bank, but now I'm actually looking at it from here..." Giichi smiled and replaced his work glove. "You're right. It does look further." He turned to the distance yet to be completed, "and this little bit we've got left, hell, that's nothing at all!" Tazuna turned around at the sound of a certain young kunoichi's laughter. He frowned. What was so funny?

Giichi's face fell as he considered what he'd just seen. "We... we might even pull this off..."

"Giichi?"

"No, it's nothing. Tazuna. I'm proud to have helped you with this."

"Well, um, great. I'm proud to have built this."

"It's not built yet, though..." Tazuna frowned at that. Giichi's response had been as much to himself as it was to Tazuna.

"It will be, though. Giichi, it will get built, you know that, right? I'll make sure." Giichi nodded. "Well... We should get back to work, right? Not going to build itself, is it?" They went back to what they were doing. As he walked past Sakura again, though, Tazuna couldn't ignore her pleased little smile.

What is so damned...?

"All right, miss kunoichi, what's so funny, anyway?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be coy with me, what were you laughing about when I was talking to Giichi?" Sakura shrugged coyly.

"Who knows...?" Tazuna glared at her. This was not a joke, damn it! This bridge was the hope of his entire country and he wasn't going to let some little girl playing ninja make fun of it!

She looked to see if anyone was listening, then gestured him in closer. He hesitated slightly, but did.

"You know," she whispered, "You were right."

What? What was he right abou-

"The bridge, I mean." Tazuna's mind quickly switched to Panic Mode.

She can read my mind! I didn't think ninja could actually do that!

"See, I thought that if what was done looked longer, and what needed to be done looked shorter, it would be really good for morale, after looking back at how fast they can work. So, I... cheated. A little."

...Wait, what?

"I'm using genjutsu. The completed bridge looks longer... and the space left to cover looks shorter."

Wait, WHAT? Ninja can do that?

Tazuna drew back slowly, a look of amazement on his face. Sakura just giggled and held a finger to her lips in a silent 'shh' gesture.

* * *

><p>It had been a long two days. Naruto had been careful not to show off much improvement in front of Kakashi, but even now that he was free of his suspicious teacher's supervision, this was tiring. Granted, he could do this exercise already. He'd practised for who knows how long at home, sticking himself to the ceiling for as long as he could. Still, using this much chakra constantly for hours on end... even with his stamina, this was brutal work, especially when deliberately holding himself back just enough to threaten Sasuke's natural talent.<p>

Speaking of Sasuke, he seemed to have noticed the closing gap between their progress.

"Oi, Naruto."

"What?"

"You asked Sakura for help, earlier, right?" He had. He'd made a show of it, of course, despite not actually needing the advice. That had all been for his team's benefit. It reinforced Sakura's self-esteem, hopefully caught Kakashi's attention and now it was time for Sasuke to benefit.

"...Yeah. Why?"

Sasuke's rather awkward attempt at asking for help remained awkward, "What... what did she tell you?" Naruto's face grew a canny grin.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm... I just do," Sasuke attempted to deflect him.

"Tell me why and I'll tell you." Naruto wasn't so easily dissuaded, and Sasuke's temper began to fray.

"I just did te-"

"The real reason, I mean."

"Why do you want me to... to..." He trailed off angrily. Naruto finished for him.

"To what? Demean yourself?" Sasuke's glare was all that was needed for confirmation. "You don't get it, do you? It's not about that. I mean, let's say you're in a fight against someone who specialises in, say... long-range suiton ninjutsu. How would you go about beating him?"

Sasuke's glare narrowed. "...I'd find some way of doing it."

"Well then, let's say that when you meet this enemy, you have on your team a taijutsu specialist well-versed in doton ninjutsu. Then what would you do?" The right answer was obvious.

"I'd leave them to fight the suiton-user."

"Would you?"

"I... yeah. Of course I would." The look Sasuke gave him spoke very clearly about what he thought of his team-mate's intelligence at that point.

"Let's say that you started fighting this guy first, and your team-mate comes along later. Would you still let him fight in your place?"

Sasuke's response was immediate, "Of course no-!" He stopped himself at Naruto's raised eyebrow. "Wait. I mean... I-" Naruto sighed wearily and shook his head.

"This is my whole damn point, Sasuke. If you keep holding on to that overbearing pride, instead of sucking it up and properly asking for help, you're not going to GET any help, and that is going to get you killed! Either because you didn't let someone who could beat your opponent take over the fight, or because you weren't as fast or as strong as you could have been with training that you could have ASKED for; if you keep being such a stuck-up idiot, it will cost you!"

"How the hell would you know?"

"It's damned common sense! No ninja can learn every fighting style or technique, not even using something like the Sharingan! There's just not enough time! Everyone specialises, and because you can't do everything yourself, they put us into teams! That was the point of the bell test, remember; So we can learn to rely on others!"

Sasuke didn't have a response to that. The silence in that wood stretched out, until it became an undeniably awkward absence of sound. Eventually, Naruto turned back to his tree, clearing his throat.

"So, unless you needed anything, I'd like to keep trainin-"

"Naruto." Sasuke interrupted him. He turned to see what it was that Sasuke wanted his attention for, and found himself dumbstruck. Sasuke was sitting in seiza, extremely stiff and formal, his hands on the ground in front of him. "I..." His jaw was visibly set as he bowed low, still on his knees. His voice was as stiff as his movements as he spoke from the ground, hiding his burning face. "I would... like to know what advice Sakura shared with you, so that-" Naruto facepalmed.

"Damn it, get up, Sasuke." He didn't move, though he did stop speaking. He seemed confused. "When I told you to let go of that pride, I just meant for you to admit when you needed help. You don't have to grovel like that..." After a moment, Sasuke slowly sat back up, then stood. His face was bright red, either from shame or embarrassment. He fixed Naruto with a look that was something between his trademark glare and gratitude.

"I don't NEED your help. I would... appreciate it, though." Naruto didn't insult his pride any further by chuckling, just giving him a sympathetic smile.

It was a start.

* * *

><p>Two years earlier...<p>

A human-shaped patch of red, black and brown was all that broke the monotonous expanse of sand, the only other color for miles. Such a curiosity did not go unnoticed, even half-buried in sand as it was.

A lone carrion bird circled overhead, ever patient, ever wary. The thing below had not moved for hours now, not a twitch since the buzzard had caught sight of it, but that was no guarantee of safety. Some predators lay in wait for days, feigning death for the sake of the impatient, or the desperate.

More came now, filling the sky, lazily tracing a slow, downward spiral to the waiting meal below. Numbers emboldened them. Even if the thing was a predator waiting for them, it could catch but one, allowing the others to escape. With this many, perhaps even a predator could be brought low and eaten. What a feast that could be! Bellies filled for days to come!

Numbers, hunger and burgeoning greed brought them lower. Lower and lower still, and no sign of life to shatter their resolve.

The first of them landed. An old bird, it had been many days since he had eaten, chased off his claims by younger wakes, all unwilling to share. His attention was drawn to the eyes. So juicy they seemed, and without even any protection. The left eye, staring at nothing, all cold and glassy; had some kind of discloration above it. The others landed, emboldened by the lack of retaliation against him. They clamored near, eager to begin the feast, and the old bird knew he had to eat now, before he could be shouldered away. He raised his beak, the cruel hook ready to steal the choicest parts.

Pandemonium! Pandemonium and sand, sand everywhere! Was it a storm? No, no storm. No storm cloyed and clung and held fast like this, they tore and bit and stripped flesh from bone, storms did not weight you down and press firm, from all directi-

The sand of the Ichibi Jinchuuriki, now stained red, slid back to rest around it's master after pulping the buzzards that had thought to make a meal of him. Eyes continued to stare and see nothing of the desert or the blue horizon, and whispering breaths left the mouth, barely shifting the grains of sand they fell upon. Words of the same force were spoken, and went unmarked by the uncaring desert.

"I am..."


	10. Chapter 10

Haku inhaled deeply on the way to collect Zabuza's herbs. The night's mist was still present, and carried a delicate, unmistakable 'forest-y' scent. A light chill was lingering in the air, even as the weak morning sun tried to penetrate the mist to fill the forest. This was... pleasant. Peaceful. Calm. Such things were not shared with Zabuza, as he was unlikely to care, but Haku enjoyed (relatively) restful periods like these, times when they remained in one place long enough to smell the proverbial roses, whether by choice or necessity. Even if Zabuza's initial reaction to such situations tended to be somewhat impatient. Thoughts of how Zabuza's restlessness would manifest were he healthier brought a small smile as Haku came to the clearing where the necessary herbs were and stopped short.

A blond, orange-clad genin was lying spread-eagled on the ground, apparently asleep. From his face, he was quite peacefully fast asleep, dead to the world around him.

Haku drew closer, but musing on that phrase for a moment.

What a curiously apt metaphor it was.

Kneeling over him now, more details were apparent: He was scuffed and a little dirty, but not bruised. He must have been a quick healer, or he didn't bruise very easily. This close, certain smells were obvious as well. Sweat, dirt, crushed grass, steel and underneath that, a very distinct twang of chakra, and underneath that... Haku chanced a quick sniff. Fermented soy?

Oddities aside, one thing was obvious. This was the same orange-clad ninja who was one of Kakashi's students. One of Tazuna's protectors. Most importantly, he was the one who had not only seen through Zabuza's water clones, but also devised the plan that had lead to his teacher's freedom. Haku fingered a hidden senbon. He was just so close, and so oblivious. It would be so easy just to kill him here, making things easier for them later on. Eyes darted to his exposed neck.

Dead to the world.

* * *

><p>Naruto continued to blink in an attempt to get the last bits of sleep out of his eyes, his hands otherwise occupied with picking the herbs Haku was looking for. He still didn't know what half the plants he was fiddling with were for, and he doubted it would be a good idea to rub whatever oils or whatever they had on them all over his eyes. So he continued to blink. He held up a freshly-picked herb for Haku to see.<p>

"Like this one, right?" Haku glanced over and nodded with a smile.

"That's right. As many like that as you can find would be a great help, thank you."

Naruto grinned in response, dropping the herb into the basket before looking around and picking four more. As he made sure he was grabbing the right plants, he tried making conversation.

"Nee-chan, why exactly are you out so early in the morning?"

"I could ask you the same. Why were you asleep in the middle of the forest?"

He grinned, "Training!" Haku turned to face him, the herbs forgotten in favor of this conversation.

"Could it be that you're a ninja, then? That hitai-ite..." He just nodded in response. "Wow, that's amazing... But, why were you training?"

"So I can become stronger. Why else do people train?" He answered with a warm smile still in place.

"You look strong enough already, though."

"That's..." The smile faltered, slowly fading to downcast as he spoke. "That's nice of you to say, but I'm not. I know I can be stronger than this... I can't afford not to be, either."

Eyes narrowed at this proclamation, "You can't afford to be? Is there some reason you need to be stronger?"

No longer downcast, Naruto's eyes came up, and just as hard as they had been when he had demanded to know Haku's identity. Not that he had known it was Haku, the false oi-nin rationalised, but still – that look was the same.

"Yeah. I do." Haku knew that tone.

"I see. So, it is for someone else, then?"

"...It's for a lot of someone elses. It's for everyone in the village, even if they do hate me. It's for my friends, it's for my teachers, it's for..." His face went slightly red and he mumbled a name to one side. Haku barely caught it. 'Himaka'? But he wasn't done. "But, mostly... it's for me."

"What?" After saying all that, how could he then...?

"See, I want to protect them all, because I don't ever want to see any of them get hurt. I want to be strong enough to do that." He smiled. "That's what _I_ want. Not them. Not anybody else. I want to become strong enough to protect them. All of them. From anyone." His face turned fierce as he focused on nothing in particular. He then seemed to notice the basket again. "Oh, that's right! Herbs, herbs!" He smiled broadly, the hardness in his expression changing to warmth almost instantly as he returned to picking out the correct plants, while Haku remained sitting, stunned by what he'd just said.

He wants to help them, to protect them, because that's... what he wants?

Just like I am Zabuza-sama's tool. Because I... _want_ to be needed.

I... want.

Haku smiled lightly at this minor epiphany, turning to the nearly hyperactive young genin where he was enthusiastically trying to help. Haku felt a sudden heat in the facial area. A blink, and Haku quickly turned away from him. Fortunately, Naruto's back had been turned, so he hadn't seen Haku's light blush. Mentally, Haku tried to rationalise things. It was not a reaction to him, it was to the idea that serving Zabuza-sama was as much for Haku's own reasons as his. It was most certainly not because Naruto was the first person since... mother... to apparently care about Haku as a person. Nor was it that Naruto seemed to be trying to get Haku to self-identify as an individual, someone with their own wants and fears. Nor was it that he was the first to ever make such an attempt, Haku included. No, that couldn't be it at all.

"Oi, nee-chan!" Haku looked up. Naruto was walking forwards with a warm smile and a fistful of the herbs Haku was looking for. The flush returned and brought its friend, elevated heart rate.

Sasuke watched the girl walking towards him with bemusement and a hint of suspicion. Her clothes didn't seem to match what the other villagers wore – they were too clean, for a start. She was also walking quickly with her head down, avoiding his eyes. He looked past her and saw Naruto watching her leave with a frown of confusion.

She must have noticed the look of recognition when he saw Naruto, though, since she stopped just behind him and spoke.

"You have an... interesting friend."

"That's one way of putting it," he responded, half-smirking.

She didn't answer, instead resuming her quick walk.

...Strange girl.

* * *

><p>Zabuza considered the apple in his hand. It was not especially large, his fingers closing around it almost completely. It was smooth, shiny and red, with a fair weight. He squeezed, and found it firm. It was a good, ripe apple, and if he were to bite into it, he was sure it would have that same satisfying taste common to most good, ripe apples.<p>

He squeezed harder, and it pulped in his hand, sticky juices running down the now split skin to drip from his hand onto the floor.

"As expected of Zabuza-sama. It seems you're fully recovered already." Haku handed him a damp towel. Zabuza dropped the ruined fruit and took the towel, wiping off the apple juice. "Now that you are recovered, how shall we proceed?"

"We attack at the bridge tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Hinata's mind was only half on the spar with her instructor that evening. She was worried about Naruto. True, he had come out of that mission all right last time, but a jounin was a jounin, and combat situations were inherently chaotic. She couldn't trust to chance that he would come out alive this time again, not even with his unbelievable luck. She smiled internally as she blocked a twisting strike to her neck. Naruto had luck, yes, but he was intelligent enough not to rely solely on it and was also sufficently... unorthodox, that he would be able to improvise his way out, for both himself and his team, if anything went wrong.<p>

She blinked as she twisted away from a kick aimed at her stomach. Then she caught it as it reversed to follow her hip. That... was not a move she should have been able to notice coming. Come to think of it, neither was the earlier blow to her neck. Hinata retaliated with a basic one-two blow, only to be blocked and countered, she deflected the counter easily, the correct response coming without thought.

The both of them paused. The counter her teacher had just used was not one Hinata should have been able to identify at her level, let alone be expected to defend against it. What was she doing? Their eyes met and suddenly Hinata knew exactly what her instructor was doing. She was testing her. The teacher's eyes narrowed as she saw the light of realisation in Hinata's face. If her student had figured it out, then the time for subtlety was over. The woman came at her, fast, with the intent to do real harm. Hinata reacted and defended herself before she knew what she was doing, then began to fight back in earnest, all thought of restraint or wayward loves gone, swept away in the effort of the fight. Deflection, attack, counter-attack... it took all her skill to keep up. Hinata's eyes widened in horror. It took all her skill, carefully hidden until now, to keep up.

That moment of shock was enough for her opponent knock past her guard and deliver a strike to her chest. That palm was pulled moments before contact. They pulled away from each other, Hinata's mind racing. Why had she done this? Even if she knew Hinata was holding back in lessons, why go to such lengths to prove it? Her teacher simply examined her with her Byakugan before deactivating her eyes. She calmly began to speak.

"While it is not the place of the Branch Family to question the Main Family, I am currently acting under your father's authority." Hinata started. She hadn't suspected her father would be on to her so soon, let alone order her instructor to investigate her. "You have been holding back in our sessions. I suspected this, but that display just now confirmed it. Why?"

"I cannot say." Her tone was respectful, but she did not break eye contact. The instructor took notice of this.

"For what reason?"

"I cannot say, only that it concerns the well-being of both the clan and the village as a whole." It was technically true, Hinata mused. Depriving Konoha of the jounin Neji would become would indeed be detrimental to its well-being, and the resolution of his antagonistic feelings would help ease the tensions between the Main and Branch Families. Her instructor continued to press, though.

"In what way?"

"...I cannot say." She dropped her gaze in remorse at this. She truly couldn't speak of her reasons, not without answering even more questions that could not be asked yet. The instructor, however, was not aware of this, and was simply unimpressed with her reticence. Her eyes came back up to lock with her teachers'. "I ask that you not inform my father of this."

"I cannot do that, Hinata-sama. His authority supercedes yours. When he asks for the results of this test, I must answer truthfully." Her teacher's gaze met hers, both unwavering.

She tried a different approach, "Then I ask only that you do not reveal the extent of my restraint."

"Why?"

"For the clan." She repeated.

"And the village, yes?" The question was somewhat acerbic in tone.

"...Yes." The two of them did not look away from each other, their eyes locked, each silently daring the other to question their resolve. Their silent duel continued until the instructor spoke a few minutes later.

"You have not even considered it, have you?"

Hinata blinked a couple of times at the unexpected change in topic.

"I'm... sorry? Considered what?"

Her instructor was silent, seemingly considering for a few more moments. "...It is nothing. I can promise only that if he does not ask me directly, I will not answer."

Hinata smiled and bowed in thanks. "That will have to be enough, then. Thank you." When she straightened up, she asked, "If I may be excused, sensei?" A nod, and she turned to leave. She felt her teacher's eyes on her the entire way. Once she had gone, the Branch Family member lifted a shaking hand up to her forehead, lightly brushing her fingers against the bandages there. In their confrontation, Hinata had not even considered it. The very idea had not even entered her mind.

She let her hand drop back to her side and began crafting the story she was going to tell Hiashi.

* * *

><p>It was already nightfall when the two genin staggered back towards Tazuna's home, arm over each others' shoulders to help steady their gait. They'd done it. They'd both made it to the top, and by walking there, too. They could honestly say they'd mastered the exercise now, and that knowledge buoyed them up despite their fatigue.<p>

"Oi, Naruto."

"Yeah?"

There was, however, a question lurking in one of their minds. A question he wanted answered before they returned to Tazuna's home, and food, and company.

"Why did you run out to go train after Tazuna told us about that guy Kaiza?" He chanced a look at his team-mate's reaction. "You were out there all night. What was it about that story that got you so worked up?"

"Because Inari didn't learn what Kaiza was trying to teach him. I want to fix that." Sasuke couldn't tell what expression that was. It could have been resolve or careful neutrality or simmering anger or...

Damn it.

"So what was Kaiza trying to teach him?"

Sasuke hadn't previously thought Naruto was capable of being deliberately cryptic. The smile he got in response to his question easily convinced him otherwise. They were both silent until they reached the house on the water where their team-mates, food, their client and his family, and their food, were waiting.

Most importantly, they were hungry.

"I, uh, I probably shouldn't be asking this, but... Why are you all still here, even though I lied about the request details?" Tazuna looked intensely uncomfortable, as though he had asked against his better judgement, but his curiosity wouldn't allow him to stay silent. Kakashi laced his fingers in front of his mask and recited a lesson that his own teacher had once imparted. It had taken a long time, and the death of a friend, for him to understand it.

"'Not doing right when you know it is right is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander.' Those are part of the teachings of the previous Hokage," He explained to the room.

"That's right!" Naruto added cheerfully, despite his exhaustion. "So don't worry, we'll kick that Gatou's ass and make sure you can complete the bridge." It was at that point that Inari exploded.

"Why are you guys trying so hard!" His question went unanswered, a very cool silence descending on the room, which he quickly broke. "You'll never be able to beat Gatou! You won't! You can't, he's got too much- It's impossible! You can't win! So why... why are you..."

Naruto took a deep breath. This was important. Inari needed to know this, to learn the lesson that Kaiza had been trying to teach him. He needed to choose his words carefully if that was ever going to happen.

"So, that makes it all right, then? Your opponent is so incredibly far above you that there's no chance of winning, so that makes it all right to just give up?"

Someone else, however, beat him to it.

"'I can't beat him. He's so much more powerful, there's no way to win. So it's fine if I just give up, right?'" Sasuke glared at the boy. Unlike his usual passive scowl, there was real anger in his eyes. "Grow up, you little brat. You think that just saying the word 'impossible' makes it all right for you to just give up? To just let him get away with what he's done to you, to your family, your friends, your neighbours? You think the word 'impossible' makes it all right to just lie down and DIE? Grow up!" He snarled, "So what if you think you can't win! So what if you think you can't even come close to touching him! You haven't even tried yet!"

Inari visibly flinched at that, but Sasuke, if anything, only became more intense, his voice dropping in volume but losing none of its heat.

"Don't go spouting words like 'impossible' until you've done everything you can, until your body is blistered and sore from the effort and you can barely stand, but even then, you can still stand and SPIT in his face! Don't go giving up until you've done everything you can to make that bastard PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!"

Sasuke blinked, suddenly conscious that everyone in the room was staring at him and that at some point he'd stood up and leaned over the table to properly berate Inari. He straightened up, grunted once, and then left without saying anything else. Sakura stood to follow him almost by reflex, before bowing in apology to Tsunami and Tazuna, and only then trailing after him.

Naruto watched her leave, musing hard both on what Sasuke had said, and on the fact that he had said anything at all. He'd been perfectly content to leave Inari to his own problems last time. He turned to see the boy's reaction.

He was crying, tears streaming down his face, but seemed to be refusing to break down completely in front of any member of Team Seven. Naruto shot a look to Kakashi, and then stood to leave himself. He needed to get to sleep anyway if he was going to wake up on time this time around.

* * *

><p>Inari hadn't moved from where he was for at least ten minutes, despite how uncomfortable the position he was sitting in had to be. Kakashi had been debating with himself whether or not to explain matters since that little outburst of Sasuke's earlier. On the one hand, it was obvious that Sasuke had been angry for at something beyond just Inari's attitude. On the other, Inari likely hadn't noticed, his attention consumed by his own problems, and so had just interpreted it as Sasuke being spiteful.<p>

Though, personally, Kakashi didn't know how to interpret it himself. While Sasuke's rant had not been unsurprising to his teacher, given what he knew, it was unexpected. He hadn't thought Sasuke would care enough about some random civilian to give him a piece of his mind like that, nor to let slip that much about his mental state. He had thought Naruto would, and was surprised he hadn't said anything before Sasuke did. Though, adding to what Sasuke had already said would have been... overdoing it, perhaps. He blinked, then frowned. It was perhaps surprising in itself that the loud and Naruto would have possessed social insight to realise that. Kakashi shrugged at that. Regardless of what his students were or weren't trying to do, he wasn't here to help a kid work through his issues, especially as he was far from the best qualified in that regard. He may not do anything about them, but he knew damn well just how many issues he had himself. So, no matter how much it might help, he wasn't in any position to... to...

Not doing right when you know it is right...

...Damn it, sensei.

Kakashi took a seat next to Inari, his feet hanging above the water instead of curled up like the boy next to him. Despite the relaxed posture, he was just as uncomfortable as the boy next to him had to be. Where did he even begin? Perhaps with the words that had sent Inari out here to begin with?

"Sasuke didn't say that out of spite," He began, "He just lets his temper get the best of him sometimes. He's similar to you, in that he lost his father when he was young. Well... Not just his father. His mother, his aunts, uncles, cousins... His entire family. They were one of the largest clans in Konoha before it happened, and as the clan head's son... he knew a lot of them personally. The worst part of it, I think, was that it was done by someone he'd previously looked up to. He swore revenge that day, even though he knew how much more powerful his target was compared to himself. Even though it was... impossible." Inari stirred, relaxing slightly. "That word was likely in his thoughts a lot. That what was he was doing was impossible, that he couldn't even hope to come close to the man he wanted to kill. Despite that, though, I don't think he's ever given up on his goal. What he said to you, in there, is probably what he's been telling himself every time it looks like he might not be able to achieve his revenge. He probably understands what you're going through pretty well."

"At least one of you does..." He mumbled.

Oh, more than one.

"Well, I say that, but there's another one who probably understands you even better." At Inari's questioning look, he elaborated, "Naruto."

"...Him?" Inari had curled back up, staring at the horizon. "He's always smiling or laughing and so damn energetic... there's no way someone like that can understand what real pain is."

"Again, he's in the same boat as you. He had no father when he was young. In fact, he doesn't even know what parents are, nor did he have any friends until a couple of years ago. Despite that, I haven't seen him timid, sulky or crying. In fact, I've never seen him like that..." Kakashi's brow furrowed momentarily before he continued, "More than anything, he wants people to recognise him for himself, and he's willing to risk his life for that dream. More importantly, he's willing to risk his life for the people who have already recognised him. He knows the true meaning of strength. Much like Kaiza did." Inari was silent, but his silence was at least thoughtful, rather than reticent. Kakashi stood to leave, "Well, I shouldn't be late for my first day actually protecting your grandfather." It was only once he was almost back inside that Inari spoke up.

"...Do-?" He caught himself, and Kakashi watched him out of the corner of his eye. Inari clearly wanted to ask something, but seemed to be holding himself back. He let the boy think through what he was trying to say. "Do... do you... are you...?" He looked up, and met Kakashi's eye, somehow conveying his question without words.

"...Yeah. Not quite as early as you three, but it was still painful. I didn't handle it well at all, and it took... a good friend to make me realise that." He probably still wasn't handling it very well. What would Obito say if he could see him now?

Hm. Now his Sharingan was itching. What an odd coincidence.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<strong>

* * *

><p>Hello, all. Relden here.<p>

I realise this is rather a short chapter, especially considering the wait, but... well, I have a bad habit that I need to break that's partially responsible. You will be seeing more in each chapter more often, so I respectfully ask you be patient with me.

That said, this chapter. THIS CHAPTER. Is it a good thing when the characters start taking on lives of their own? Because both Haku and Sasuke did that here. Haku's reaction to Naruto has since spawned its own sub-plot that wasn't there when I started this thing, and it was supposed to be Naruto, not Sasuke, who berated Inari.

I mean, I ask you... which one of us is the one with OpenOffice anyway?

EDIT: Hinata's Interlude has been folded back into Ch10 where it belongs.


	11. Chapter 11

Inari slumped and curled up into a little ball. Gatou's men had just come and taken his mother. What had he done? Nothing. Of course he'd done nothing. He couldn't stand up to two adult swordsmen, that was insane!

"Mom... I'm sorry. I'm weak, so I can't... I can't. It's-"

You think the word 'impossible' makes it all right to just give up?

"I-I'm not... I'm not strong enough..."

So what if you think you can't win! So what if you think you can't even come close to touching him! You haven't even tried yet!

He had no father when he was young. In fact, he doesn't even know what parents are...

That Sasuke guy... he's never given up. And that Naruto, he's... he's had it even worse than me, but he can still smile like that. How can he...?

He understands the meaning of true strength. Much like Kaiza did.

...All I want is to protect what's important to me, with these two arms. Even if I die...

Strength, Inari suddenly realised. It's not something you strive for.

Inari ran out the door. Gatou's men still had his mother between them, but they hadn't gone that far yet. He yelled out to get their attention.

"G-GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY MOM!" The scarred one on the left turned around, utterly bored.

"Oh, it's just that brat, huh?"

"I'll kick your asses! If you hurt her, I'll kick your asses even more!" Inari yelled.

Scars laughed, "Ha! This kid's got a spine after all!"

"Yeah. Too bad he won't get to enjoy it," His partner smirked, as they reached for their swords.

"Inari! If-if you hurt him, I'll bite my-" Tsunami didn't get to finish, one of her captors knocking her out. Inari yelled and charged.

Your strength is something you make yourself! Dad! I WILL be strong!

Suddenly he was back at the door to the house, next to his unconscious mother, someone's familiar voice in his ears.

"Nice, Inari! You got their attention so we could get your mom out of the way!"

"Out of the way?" he asked dumbly.

"Go for it, you assholes!" The two mooks dropped, revealing two more clones behind them.

"Enough with ordering us around, you ain't the boss," one of them groused to the clone by Inari.

"No," that one preened in response, "but I'm just as handsome as he is."

The grousing clone growled in annoyance, "We all are, dumbass! We're clones!"

"Yes, but I'm still the better-looking," Inari's guardian told it dismissively.

"How does that even work! We're clones! We're all clones, so we're all identical, you jackass!"

"Well, if we're identical, then you must be a jackass, too, jackass."

"Um... excuse me?" Inari asked. He was completely lost here. One moment he was swearing his newfound strength to his dad's memory and then... this? "But... what are you doing? How did you know about the samurai?"

The two clones continued their bokke and tsukkomi routine, the designated 'straight man' marching up to the idiot, both ignoring the young boy. The third clone came up to Inari, utterly unimpressed with his compatriots.

"For fuck's sake, those two... Hey, kid. Long story short, we didn't."

"Then how did you know to help?"

"Boss left us behind before he left for the bridge. Come on, close family of the old man? Prime hostages. Of course Gatou was gonna come after you."

Inari bristled. He'd seen this happen and he hadn't done anything about it? The clone noticed his building ire and cut him off before he could begin.

"Hey, relax. We couldn't do anything while you or your mom were still so close to these jokers," It jabbed a thumb over its shoulder at the two unconscious mooks, "So we were setting up a distraction." It grinned in approval. "Then, all of a sudden, who should come charging out of the house yelling his head off?" It slapped him on the back in congratulations. "Nice one, kid, the boss always knew you had it in ya." The smile faltered slightly. The other two clones were still doing their double act, and it yelled, "HEY! Will one of you idiots just dispel and let the boss know what happened!" They ignored him and he made a very rude sound in frustration, "Fine! I'll do it!" It held a hand up in a half-seal. Before the terminal action, though, it gave Inari one last final smile, "Ya got your strength, kid. Now what are ya gonna do with it?"

* * *

><p>"Sakura! Sasuke! Form up on Tazuna, now!" Three-quarters of Team 7 immediately closed ranks around the old man, the fog thickening around them with every second.<p>

I knew it... He was alive.

"Sensei... This is his Kirigakure no Jutsu, isn't it," Sakura asked. Kakashi made a noise of confirmation, and Sakura responded in annoyance, "Tch. This is going to make it harder to plant any genjutsu on him... Inconsiderate no-brows bastard."

Kakashi blinked. Did she really just...? "Sakura?"

"...Did I say that out loud just now?" she asked sheepishly. Kakashi nodded dumbly.

"No, it's good to know you've got some real spine. I feel better about being on your team, now, Sakura," Sasuke explained to her.

A familiar voice drifted out of the fog. "Oh, she's definitely got some spine... Wonder what it'll look like when I tear it out?"

The less-than-subtle threat did not have the intended effect of demoralising the supposed weak link.

BASTARD! Sakura thought, Sasuke-kun just complimented me! There's no way anything you say is gonna get to me now! She drew a kunai with a flourish, settling into a defensive posture next to Tazuna.

Come and get it, you no-brows bastard! SHANNARO!

"Heheheh... I'm impressed. I know a chuunin or two who couldn't take that one. Looks like your brats aren't so weak after all, Kakashi. Though," Zabuza immediately homed in on the sound of rattling metal, the kunai in Sasuke's trembling hand. "That one looks so scared, he's trembling again. How pathetic." He ordered his water clones in closer, under the cover of the mist, to prepare for the killing strike. Sasuke grinned. It's width was perhaps indicative of just how much time he'd been spending around Naruto since joining Team Seven. He looked the nearest clone right in the eyes.

"It's excitement, not fear."

"Have fun, you two," Kakashi chirped.

Sasuke blurred into motion as the clones swung for an attack.

Seven battle cries gave way to seven splashing sounds.

Sasuke breathed deep, schooling his features, and fighting to get his heart rate under control. His blood felt warm, almost hot in his veins after dispatching those water clones, and comfortably so. He'd experienced something similar in spars, but this, apparently, was the difference a real fight made. This must have been what his father had meant when he'd said fire ran through an Uchiha's veins. It sure as hell felt like it, anyway. He forced himself to be calm, and it was noticeably more difficult than he thought it should be.

The difference a real fight made, indeed.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the real Zabuza making himself known.

"So, he can defeat my water clones now... those brats got stronger pretty quick." He turned to his pet Bloodline-user, "Looks like a rival for you, Haku."

The masked head barely inclined in consideration, "...Perhaps."

"Well, well, looks like our theory was right," Kakashi drawled.

"So that masked guy really was working for Zabuza," Sakura moaned. "Well, I suppose no-one ever said being a ninja would be simple."

Sasuke levelled his glare at that mask. "I'll fight him," he growled. "He pulled that stupid act on us, and Sakura's genjutsu make her more suited for a defensive role in this situation, anyway."

Kakashi shrugged, "Well, I guess it would be a good idea to keep a pair of eyes on Tazuna at all times... and I doubt either of you could handle Zabuza... So, sure, why not?" he concluded.

"An interesting boy," Haku thought out loud. "Even if your water clones are only a tenth as powerful, he dealt with them rather well. Though I suspect his other team-mate would have dealt with them more impressively." Zabuza raised a bald eyebrow at the choice of words.

"Impressively, Haku?"

"...He did manage to devise a strategy to free his teacher from you. He even managed to capture your interest, I believe?"

Zabuza grunted, "I suppose he did. That was some nice bloodlust for a fresh genin. The brat's a wild-card, though. I don't feel like dealing with whatever bullshit he can come up with, so we're finishing this up early. Understand, Haku?" Haku slumped slightly in relief.

"Understood, Zabuza-sama."

"Haku, you're not scared of him, are you?"

"No, Zabuza-sama. Not scared."

"...Hurry up, either way."

"Hai." Haku sped off to battle.

Sasuke fought down the grin threatening to spread across his face as he watched Haku's approach. His enemy was coming, and using a technique he hadn't seen before and wasn't sure he could beat. He was about to be in a fight, a real fight for his life. His pulse quickened as his blood began to heat up. He tracked his opponent's movement as best he could, lifted his kunai to defense, and waited for the right moment to strike.

There!

Steel clashed as he met Haku's senbon with his own kunai, and the passive mask with his own confident grin. They separated, clashed again, darted around one another, steel colliding with each pass, before finally locking weapons again. Haku took in Sasuke's wild-eyed expression behind his kunai.

"I don't want to kill you, but you're not going to back off, are you?"

Sasuke barely heard his opponent. His blood was pounding in his ears and boiling everywhere else. Back off? Like hell.

"Don't be an idiot." Damn, even his tongue felt hot in his mouth.

"I thought as much. You won't be able to keep up with my next move, though. I have already gained two advantages." His legs felt hot. "The first is the water already on the ground." His chest felt hot. "The second is that I'm keeping one of your hands occupied." His arms felt hot. "Therefore, you can only defend against my attack" His eyes... His eyes felt...

Wait, were those one-handed seals?

Panic, and the ingrained reaction to it, flooded in, drowning out the heat.

"Hissatsu: Sensatsu Suishou."

Chakra flooded into the water, forming hundreds of needles that lifted into the air. All pointed at Sasuke.

Calm down! Focus your chakra-

The needles clashed together in an enormous splash. Haku leapt back to evade the technique, overbalancing slightly on the landing, quickly recovering to check on Sasuke's status.

Gone. Where did he-?

A shuriken from above answered that question. Followed by others, all of which Haku was forced to evade.

"Damn, you're slow."

* * *

><p>Haku stood up slowly. Sasuke had quite a good kick, one had to admit. Especially once on the receiving end. Zabuza watched as his pet worked out a new kink in the neck.<p>

"Haku. Enough playing around. I told you already I'm not in the mood to deal with that orange brat."

"My apologies, Zabuza-sama." Haku's fingers came up in an odd seal – almost a Tiger seal, but with the middle fingers wrapped over the indices. Sasuke watched in confusion as cold air billowed out from under the fake oi-nin's clothes. "I shall deal with it now."

Then ice began to sprout up around him.

"Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou."

* * *

><p>A great explosion of smoke appeared in the middle of the bridge, slowly clearing to reveal a squat, orange figure bearing a hitai-ite of Konoha. The blond spoke loudly, the better to ensure he was heard by all present.<p>

"Uzumaki Naruto... SANJOU!"

As one, regardless of their side on the battlefield, all present immediately had the same thought.

Is this guy an idiot?

Heedless of such disrespectful thoughts, Naruto straightened up, turning immediately to where Sasuke lay prone inside Haku's deadly house of mirrors.

"Hey, Sasuke, how you doing in there?"

He coughed, "Better than you would be, idiot."

"Well, as I'm not stupid enough to get caught in a technique like that, we'll never know, will we, bastard?"

Sasuke smirked, "Bite me." Naruto grinned, and decided to now deal with the second most important problem.

"OI! NO-BROWS!" Zabuza twitched at the appellation. "Yeah, you with the giant sword!"

"What is it, brat?"

"You know Gatou's planning to betray you, right?" That got his attention. "Only my clones heard his goons bragging about it down at Tazuna's house." The old man started at the mention of his home.

"At my-! Tsunami! Inari! Are they all right?"

"They're fine, gramps, two wannabe swordsmen aren't any match for my kage bunshin," Naruto waved him off. "Anyway, Zabuza... What are you gonna do about this?"

"...That depends. What are you suggesting?"

"Well, the way I see it, you've got no reason to trust me, but what I'm suggesting is plausible enough that you can't completely ignore it."

"Stop wasting my time, brat."

"A temporary truce. We wait for Gatou to show, and if he really is going to betray you, you see for yourself. Meanwhile, we don't fight each other. If I'm lying then, hell, you can take my head along with the old man's." He finished nonchalantly. His team made noises of surprised objection to that offer, and Haku turned to face him almost quickly enough to cause whiplash. Zabuza raised a hairless brow contemplatively.

"Tempting offer..." Naruto smiled. "However." The smile faltered. "I may be a nukenin, but I still have my pride as a ninja. I will complete the mission, and if Gatou decides to betray me after, I'll kill him and take my payment from his corpse."

Naruto was silent for a little while after that declaration. "I see. Well, we'll kick your asses either way, so... your funeral." Naruto couldn't keep a small amount of sorrow out of his voice at that. Kakashi turned his attention back to his opponent.

"I think I expected better of you, Zabuza. Not sure why."

Zabuza laughed, "Nothing personal, Kakashi." He thought about that for a moment, "Actually, I've been looking forward to fighting you, so I guess it is a little bit personal," he drawled.

"Fantastic," Kakashi deadpanned.

"Before that, though... That punk's caused one too many headaches for me." Zabuza tossed a few kunai in Naruto's direction. He made no move to avoid, standing with his hands in his pockets and a confident smile in place. Haku quickly leaned out of the nearest mirror and deflected Zabuza's kunai, taking everyone else by surprise.

"Haku," Zabuza growled, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Please allow me to deal with these two, Zabuza-sama. Didn't you say you didn't want to deal with any of his... antics?"

Zabuza considered that, then smirked.

"Do whatever you want, Haku. Just don't let that brat interfere."

Haku turned back to face Naruto, to find him smiling more warmly.

"Oh, I see... so you can recognise and act on your own wants after all. That's good. I guess I kind of misjudged you when we first met. Sorry about that!"

Haku didn't answer, suddenly intensely grateful for the mask and that it could cover any kind of blush.

"But..." The smile dropped, becoming a hard look of determination. "You don't seem to understand just who you're dealing with here. I am Uzumaki Naruto. Student of Umino Iruka, Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi. Part of Team Seven, and Genin of Konoha. The man who will become Sixth Hokage." His determined expression split to reveal another grin that his current team were familiar with. "And I fight dirty."

A sudden yell drew Haku's attention away from Naruto's strange declaration. What was so noteworthy about that? They were ninja, ninja are supposed to fight dir-

That train of thought was rudely interrupted by an orange blur's flying jump kick landing squarely on Haku's face. Haku was, once again, intensely grateful for that mask. That didn't stop the blow from sending the young bloodline-user flying halfway across the bridge. Naruto's grinning kage bunshin dispelled as the original made himself known and recovered from his introductory kick, while wearing an ear-to-ear grin identical to his clone's.

"I am so glad I asked Gai-sensei to teach me the Dynamic Entry." He interpreted Haku's sudden stop some five metres away as agreement and chuckled.

Zabuza twitched, "That orange brat... I knew he'd try some crap like this."

Sakura sighed, "Honestly, why am I even surprised?"

Sasuke grunted in agreement and Tazuna gaped openly. Kakashi simply watched it all happen. He refused to react. A reaction was exactly what Naruto wanted.

"Oi, Sasuke! You gonna be able to pull yourself out of there?"

"Yeah, sure... what about him?"

"I'll keep him busy, don't worry!"

Sasuke snorted. "He's fast, but I got a pretty good hit in earlier... just don't underestimate him."

Naruto barked in laughter. "Bastard, don't underestimate ME."

Sasuke just worked on standing up again. Naruto let him get to work and ran up to where Haku lay prone. If he was lucky, he'd knocked him unconscious with that opening kick.

Haku stirred.

Well, so much for luck, Naruto thought.

* * *

><p>Kakashi eyed his strangest student as he went to distract his opponent from those ice mirrors. Zabuza followed his line-of-sight and stepped in.<p>

"Careful now, don't get any funny ideas."

"Oh, don't worry, Zabuza-kun... my cute little genin aren't quite as cute as I gave them credit for. I think those two should be able to handle your sub-ordinate."

"Well, maybe. But for now, why don't you tell that other kid of yours to stop with the genjutsu. If she thinks that level of illusion will work on me, she's got another thing coming." He hefted the sword slung across his back, making sure Kakashi knew the other 'thing' she had coming was large and very sharp. Kakashi sighed and turned to Sakura over his shoulder.

"He's seen through it, Sakura."

Sakura sighed, while Tazuna made a very rude noise and put his hands on his hips.

"Of course he has," he growled as his image twisted and reformed into Sakura, while 'Sakura' turned back into Tazuna. "I really need to learn some scent- or sound-based genjutsu, damn it..."

Zabuza let his sword drop back over his back, "Since you and I are essentially at a stalemate for now, why don't we just enjoy ourselves and watch the show?" He turned to watch where Kakashi's students were fighting his own masked tool.

* * *

><p>Naruto just waited as his opponent pulled themselves to their feet. There no point in attacking yet, as pressuring him needlessly would just force a faster recovery, which was exactly what he didn't want. He still needed to buy Sasuke enough time to get out of those mirrors. Haku was standing up again. Time to stall!<p>

"Yo. Sorry about the kick to the face, but I kinda had to to get you out of those mirrors, you know?"

The mask tilted slightly in his direction.

"I feel really bad about it now, though, since you just saved me from your boss's shuriken and all. Well, okay, you saved a kage bunshin so it wouldn't have made much difference, but you didn't know that. Then, I repay you by kicking you in the face," He shook his head sadly, "I like to think I have more class than that usually and you're not saying anything."

Haku continued to not say anything, straightening up and facing him directly.

"Look, I can't hold a conversation on my own here... Well, okay, maybe I can, but it kind of defeats the purpose. You need two people for a conversation or it's just one guy talking to himself. I don't feel like calling up a clone just for that, if only because it'd still be me talking to myself."

More silence.

"Come on, say something," he whined, "I want to know more about the guy I'm fighting here. Come on, anything."

"I know that you're stalling for time for your friend," Haku told him, "And I can make, and use, my mirrors outside of the main Makyou Hyoushou." Haku showed him, the water flowing up to one side and flattening out into a new mirror. Naruto's eyes widened and he charged forward. He remembered this, and he needed to stop Haku from using it before Sasuke escaped. He threw shuriken between Haku and the mirror, but they were deflected with senbon and did nothing to dissuade Haku. The mirror shattered just as Naruto reached it. He spun around at Sasuke's pained cry. Haku was back in the fun house.

"...Damn it." He ran up to the mirrors, though not close enough that Haku could attempt to hit him as well.

"What the hell, you idiot!" Sasuke yelled at him after another barrage of senbon pierced him, "I even told you not to underestimate him! What the hell!" He hissed in mixed anger and pain as another barrage struck home, glaring at the image plastered on the ice all around him. Enough of this! He was an Uchiha, and this was only ice! Fire MELTS ice!

He blurred through the necessary hand-seals, completing it before Haku retaliated. Strangely, the fake oi-nin didn't even bother. As though he thought that it wouldn't work and wanted him to waste his energy. Sasuke ignored that possibility.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The flames billowed against the ice mirrors, licking at them hungrily, but ultimately dying without any success.

"Unfortunately, that level of flame isn't enough."

Naruto perked up. "That level of flame wasn't enough?" He repeated.

"Correct," Haku confirmed.

Naruto grinned, "So, you're implying that there's a level of flame that would work?"

Haku wisely shut up. Too late. "Oi, Sasuke. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"For once, I think I might be," He smirked. "Do it." Naruto responded by beginning the seals to the kazerou. There was no way of know which mirror Haku was hiding in, so he chose one at random.

"Fuuton: Kazerou no jutsu!" He looked inside the dome to see Sasuke already finished with his own seals. The fireball sped into the wind prison and ignited it, the winds fanning the flames to greater degrees of heat. Naruto watched the mirrors to either side closely. If this was working, it would be affecting them too...

Except it didn't seem to be. They weren't even beginning to melt. He tsk'ed in annoyance and stopped the kazerou.

"The hell are you doing?" Sasuke demanded.

"Look." Sasuke did. As the wind-enhanced flames died down, he saw that the mirror within was unaffected.

"It seems," Haku said with a hint of smugness, "That that level of flame was not enough either."

Naruto ground his teeth. Okay, fine. That didn't work, so... new plan! The mirrors were made of some kind of ridiculously hard ice that apparently couldn't be melted by any fire they had access to. Additionally, Haku could use the mirrors to move faster than either of them could follow... Well, if you can't attack, try defence. Though how to defend against that kind of speed was another problem. Neither of them could react quickly enough to defend against Haku's attacks. So, reactive defence was out of the question... constant defence? Naruto nodded, a plan forming in his head.

"Oi, Sasuke!"

"What?" His team-mate growled.

"I think I can fudge the kazerou to get you out of there." Sasuke looked at him in confusion before realising what he was suggesting.

"Do you have enough control for that?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know, I've never tried it before."

"...Fantastic," Sasuke grumbled.

"Do we really have a choice right now?"

Sasuke glanced at the mirrors around them. Their opponent seemed to be waiting for them to decide on a course of action. Sasuke growled as he realised what that meant. He was trying to let them exhaust themselves, physically and mentally, until they gave into despair and surrendered. He wasn't trying to kill them, he never had been. He didn't consider them a real threat. He was toying with them. He felt his blood starting to boil at the insult.

...You are not worth killing...

He wanted them to just give up? Like hell.

"Just do it," he growled.

Naruto nodded to himself and bit his lip as he formed the seals and focused his chakra. Kazerou, as was the technique it was derived from, was normally stationary. He needed to change that, to twist the chakra just so to be able to make it move with Sasuke. He also needed to tone down the power, or Sasuke could be cut up even worse than any number of Haku's senbon.

"Fuuton: Kazekabe no jutsu!"

A spiralling whirlwind picked up around Sasuke, whipping dust off the ground and slightly obscuring him. He leapt forwards, towards the mirrors, and past them, freedom. Senbon flew at him once again, and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain.

It never came. The fierce winds had followed him, keeping him roughly at the eye of the technique, and whipped the incoming senbon away.

One metre. Two. Another hail of senbon, deflected as easily as the first. They shot off around the circle, ricocheting off mirrors and scoring small grooves into the ground. There was the edge. Freedom was close. One more step, and...

He was shoved, hard, back into the circle of mirrors. Haku had dived out and bodily checked him. The winds, lacking the cutting force of the kazerou, were no help against anything bulkier than a kunai, and Sasuke went sprawling from the unexpected tackle.

"Damn!" Naruto had been hoping that would work. He'd thought it would work. Though, on the up-side, Haku was distracted and, however briefly, not hiding in the mirrors. He rushed forwards, gathering wind chakra in his palm. Haku caught his movement and leapt back, moving to the advantage of the mirrors again, as Naruto slammed his hand against the outside surface of one of the sheets of ice, releasing the chakra as a thin line, a sharp razor edge, like when he had first trained to use that nature, trying to cut through the mirror to leave a weakness in the technique. He blinked. Not only had it not worked, there wasn't even a groove on the ice. Unfortunate, but not completely unexpected. Hyouton was a combination of wind and water chakra, so using wind on its own was unlikely to have worked, but not so unlikely as to be written off without even trying. Then Haku's arms leapt out of that mirror and grabbed his wrists. He looked up at the mask still inside the mirror.

"Something else you don't know about me." Haku drew him closer and Naruto couldn't stop a shocked gasp at the cold feeling when his own hands disappeared into the ice. "I can take others through my mirrors."

Then he was on the other side, rolling into a ball and shivering uncontrollably in the centre of Haku's house of mirrors. Sasuke came up above him, attempting to shield him. He'd comment on that, in a sarcastic manner of course, if he was able to actually say anything through his chattering teeth.

"C-Cold." Well, anything other than that.

Cold. Coldcoldcold and I did NOT know he could do that and COLD, DAMN IT those mirrors are REALLY FUCKING COLD on the inside!

"Naruto!"

"F-f-fu-fuck y-y-you. L-l-let's s-s-see YOU g-go th-th-through o-o-one of-"

"Well, seeing as I'm not stupid enough to get caught like that, I guess we'll never know." Naruto's eyes shot up to Sasuke's face at that.

...Oh, son of a bitch you did NOT just throw my words back at me.

He felt feeling return to his fingers and couldn't keep down the feral grin. It was about damn time that big, red and fuzzy started pulling his weight in this fight. Naruto blinked.

Had he imagined that annoyed growl, or had the Kyuubi actually heard what he'd thought about it?

Ah, whatever. He was inside the fun-house now, but maybe he'd still be able to wrangle his way out.

"So, any more ideas, dead-last? Or do you want to try running up to the mirrors again?"

"Yeah, okay, that was stupid. I mean if your face wasn't enough to break the things, I dunno what I was thinking trying to use chakra."

Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow sardonically and Naruto huffed. He knew that one wasn't up to his usual taunts and Sasuke had just called him on it.

"Oh, bite me," he told him, just before grunting in pain from a barrage of senbon aimed at his back.

Sasuke was breathing heavily, almost panting. The mist was leeching heat away from his skin, he was surrounded by mirrors made of ice, and he couldn't keep up with the fake oi-nin's movement.

So why did he feel so hot? Why did his blood feel like fire, like real fire, in his veins? Why was his heartbeat pounding in his ears, why was he enjoying this, damn it?

He quickly blocked to defend against a fresh barrage of senbon, grimacing as the needles pierced his arms. Sasuke hissed in frustration. He'd barely caught that in time. If this went on much longer, they'd-

Wait.

He'd caught that movement. He'd seen those senbon, and blocked them. Just barely, but he'd seen them. He'd _seen them._

"Naruto," he called, trying to ignore the heat in his veins.

"What?"

"I think... I think I can see him."

His friend paused at that, seemingly thinking it over, then, "You think you can catch him?"

A smirk crept up Sasuke's face. His eyes burned.

"Yeah."

"Then lets go hunting the hunter."

* * *

><p>Naruto caught Sasuke just as he started to collapse, his eyes hazy and unfocused, the Sharingan he'd used just a little earlier already gone. The plan had been improvised, spur-of the-moment insanity, the both of them acting upon whatever instinct or whim they thought might work and hoping the other would catch on soon enough for it to work.<p>

The two of them had read each other far better than they had any right to.

Naruto looked over to where Haku lay slumped against the mirrors, unmoving. He couldn't tell if their opponent was out cold or just dazed. The mirrors were still up, so probably just dazed. Sasuke coughed in his arms and Naruto winced. Haku had cottoned on that while Sasuke could track the speed freak's movements, Naruto couldn't, and gone right for him. The trap was obvious, and Sasuke had charged right in so he could return the body check from earlier. The result was the current situation. Sasuke full of pins, and Haku slumped against the mirrors.

"Damn it..." Sasuke groaned, "Why the hell are you so slow, you idiot."

"We don't all need special eyes to be awesome. Some of us are awesome just because we're awesome, damn it."

Sasuke laughed weakly at that. "Saying that... Like you're awesome, huh?"

"Damned right I am, 'ttebayo."

"...I didn't want to die. Not like this, not before..." He trailed off, before focusing on Naruto's unusually serious face. "Naruto... you told me... you said I could ask for help. You meant that?"

"Of course I did."

"Then I'm asking now... Kill my brother. Kill Uchiha Itachi. If I can't... I want you to do it."

"Wh- Why me?"

"You said I could trust you. I guess maybe I do, now. Or maybe I just don't have a choice."

"...I promise, Sasuke. If you can't, I'll find your brother, and I'll kill the man who slaughtered your family."

"If you don't, I'll come back and haunt you."

"A closet voyeur, huh? Never would have guessed."

Sasuke snorted in amusement before his eyes glazed over and his entire body went limp, Haku's needles finally putting him into a near-death state, like before.

At least, Naruto hoped it was a near-death state like before.

He looked over to where Haku was just beginning to stir. It looked like that impact against the mirrors coupled with the flying kick to the face earlier was taking its toll on top of however much chakra it had to take to keep these mirrors going.

* * *

><p>"Something you said earlier made me think, Zabuza. I also have my pride as a ninja, so unfortunately, I'm going to go ahead and finish this, right now."<p>

"An interesting bluff, Kakashi. I think I'll call you on it. What can you do when you can't even see or hear me in this mist?"

Kakashi didn't bother answering with words, slamming the scroll to the ground and waiting patiently. He didn't have to wait long, Zabuza's cries of painful surprise accompanied by the familiar sound of his dogs barking and growling. He moved forwards to where he'd heard his partners trap Zabuza at last, stopping once he'd got close enough to see him despite the fog which, Kakashi noted, was beginning to thin. He began the necessary hand-seals for his finisher.

"Blood has a very powerful scent, Zabuza. If you've managed to forget even that, then I think you've killed one too many times." Zabuza's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You left yourself open to my attacks deliberately!"

Kakashi finished the sequence, lightning chirping merrily between his fingers. He held his hand up before his face, marking his intended target on Zabuza's chest, a point between one and two inches to the left of the sternum.

"Nothing personal."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<strong>

* * *

><p>Oh, hey, a sorta-cliffhanger. Look at that.<p>

...Wait, I posted a new chapter? IN LESS THAN A YEAR?

Ah, well, Earth was nice while it lasted. Wonder what the Apocalypse is gonna look like?

Other than that, not much to say. I enjoyed writing Naruto/Sasuke banter, and it hopefully gets across their Vitriolic Best Buds deal while still being fun to read.


	12. Chapter 12

In battle, even a split-second can be the difference between life and death. Given that even a fraction of a second can make all the difference...

"Za... Zabuza...sama..."

How much difference can a whole one make?

"ZABUZA-SAMA!"

* * *

><p>Raikiri, or Chidori, as Kakashi originally named it, is known as an assassination technique not for its stealth, as the sound of a thousand chirping birds is hardly stealthy, but because that is the only purpose for which it can conceivably be used - killing. Most offensive ninjutsu have multiple uses besides destruction, such as distraction, defense or even countering an enemy's own ninjutsu. The raikiri has no such versatility. It is a killing technique of brutal precision, using its immense energy on impact not to pierce or to cut, as its name suggests, but to pulverise. On contact, flesh liquefies, muscle pulps and bone crumbles, and the target invariably dies of overwhelming physical shock. It is an entirely unpleasant way to die.<p>

Kakashi's arm had gone through Zabuza's chest like it wasn't there, now stuck up to the elbow. He checked his final positioning, in case Zabuza had somehow moved enough to throw off his aim. He hadn't.

My raikiri would have passed through his heart and part of his lung. Even if he managed to survive the initial physical shock, his heart is gone. He's dead.  
>With that final thought, he removed his arm from Zabuza's chest. It came free with a very wet squelch.<p>

Almost the same moment, Pakkun and the rest of his hunting dogs disappeared.

...Well, that wasn't supposed to happen yet.

He made to check the scroll he'd used to summon them, only to be interrupted by a tremulous voice, rich with disbelief.

"Za... Zabuza... sama,"

He turned to see the masked oi-nin half out of one of their mirrors, a shaking hand outstretched towards Zabuza's body, somehow still upright, despite the hole in his chest. Kakashi immediately turned to see the summoning scroll riddled with senbon. He turned back to the oi-nin, staring in shock as he pieced together their intentions. Like some sadistic tableau, Haku still hadn't moved, body half-out of the ice mirror and gaze locked on Zabuza. Then, as the nukenin's body slowly, inexorably, began to fall, the moment shattered like glass, a shrill cry of grief-stricken denial resounding across the bridge.

"ZABUZA-SAMA!"

Haku fell out of the mirror as it broke apart, dropping to Zabuza's side. Hands reached forwards to his body, but froze a few inches away, trembling with indecision. The want, the NEED to help Zabuza was warring with denial – Haku wanted to do whatever was possible to help Zabuza, but touching him, feeling the blood and lack of pulse under cooling skin... It would make this real, and this couldn't be real. This was Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, and he couldn't be... He wasn't... This wasn't...

Haku's hands fell back, that obscene red hole in Zabuza's chest seeming to cruelly mock the suddenly lost, scared child.

This was... real.

* * *

><p>Kakashi, through a lifetime's experience of keeping track of two things at once, and with only one eye, no less, managed to keep Haku in his field of vision at the same time he took stock of his students' condition. Sakura and Tazuna were fine, running over to where Naruto and Sasuke were – Kakashi sighed. He'd need to add situational awareness to the list of things he needed to teach them. Grouping together like that when the sole remaining opponent had an area-of-effect ability was a <em>terrible<em> idea – and then his heart sank when noticed Sasuke's still form on the ground. Naruto did not seem to be as broken up about it as he would have guessed, though, so either he had severely misjudged the boy's character or Sasuke wasn't actually dead. Then Naruto looked over at where Haku was still kneeling, almost catatonically, by Zabuza's side, and a look of resigned sorrow flickered across his face for a moment. Kakashi turned his undivided attention back to Haku with no small amount of relief.

That relief, however, was rapidly quashed when he realised that they now had on their hands a very powerful young prodigy with a Bloodline Limit, one he wasn't sure he could beat in his current state, who had just witnessed their mentor figure brutally killed in front of them. On the one hand, this meant that Haku would likely not be thinking rationally. On the other hand, Haku would not be thinking rationally. Kakashi grimaced under his mask, snark rising unbidden in the privacy of his own head.

Now all we need is for Gatou to show up with an army of mercenaries to betray Zabuza, and really, the day is compl-

No sooner had he thought that did a sound, a slow, mocking clap noise, ring out across the bridge, and the mist thinned to natural levels to reveal Gatou, cruelly smirking and awkwardly applauding the scene before him with a small army of mercenaries at his back.

Kakashi resisted voicing the first seventeen invectives that came to mind.

* * *

><p>Gatou stopped his applause with a small wince. His cast had meant that he had to settle for slapping his palm against his cast. It got the sound more or less right, but at the same time had sent painful tremors up his broken wrist. Still, a good businessman cannot display weakness.<p>

"Well, not quite the conclusion I was hoping for, but still far better than I had feared. Ideally, you," he pointed at Kakashi with his cane, "and Zabuza would have killed each other, but having Zabuza dead and you weakened is just as fine." His gaze turned to where Haku was still kneeling by Zabuza's side, and an ugly look came over his face as he cradled his wrist. "Even better, I get to take my revenge on that brat for my wrist personally." Kakashi glared. True, he was weakened, but he could still easily kill Gatou, lone, unfit civilian that he was. The problem was those mercs he had with him. Kakashi doubted he had enough left in him to deal with all of them, and there were enough of them that they would be able to overwhelm his genin with numbers. If that happened, they'd easily sack the village at the other end of the bridge.

He took stock of his genin as he analysed the situation. Sakura was standing guard over Sasuke, while Tazuna had grabbed a pickaxe from somewhere. Naruto was... Kakashi blinked. Naruto was behaving in a very un-Naruto-like manner, standing deathly still, an unreadable expression on his face and not taking his eyes off Gatou.

Gatou walked up to Haku and Zabuza, and sneered, "Hear that, boy? I'm going to make you suffer for this," he waved his cast in front of the kneeling ninja. Haku did not respond or react at all, which was clearly not the reaction Gatou wanted, his face twisting angrily. "Don't you fucking ignore me, brat!" He yelled, smacking Haku in the face with his cane and sending the mask flying off to one side. Kakashi idly wondered just what was going through Gatou's head at the moment, because he was displaying a remarkable lack of common sense. One should not provoke a sleeping bear, regardless of said bear's age. Haku, though, still did not react, stunned visage locked on Zabuza's body. Gatou scoffed, and then turned his attention to Zabuza himself.

"Pathetic. I would have thought you could at least kill the Copy-Ninja before you died. Some 'Demon of the Mist' you turned out to be. At least now I don't have to pay you, you damn charlatan!" Gatou then did the stupidest thing he possibly could have, and spit on Zabuza's face.

Haku blinked.

Gatou made to turn back to his mercs, to order them to kill everyone left on the bridge, when he heard someone muttering to one side. He turned to see Haku, still in shock, but of a different kind. This was anger, not disbelief. Then Haku spoke again, loud enough for Gatou to hear it.

"Defiler...!"

"Oh, finally decided to... to..." Gatou's voice trailed away into a high-pitched squeak of terror. He'd got his wish, and now had Haku's full attention on him. Haku had locked eye-contact with the mogul, and an enormous amount of killing intent was pressing down on his shoulders, freezing his breath in his lungs and forcing him to his knees. Haku slowly began to stand, and Gatou back-pedalled as fast as he could on all-fours. Haku simply watched him run. When he reached the merc group, he pulled himself up on one of them, pointing a shaking finger at Haku.

"K-Kill the boy! I don't care who does it, but whoever it is gets their pay doubled!" He disappeared into the crowd of armed thugs.

"What, that kid? Hah, easy money! Come on, come at me, brat! I could use that doubled paycheck off this job!"

"Hey, screw you, that money's mine!"

"Like hell!" Haku stalked forwards silently as the mercs began arguing amongst themselves. Before any of them realised it, their new target was standing in front of them, and addressed them in a coldly neutral tone.

"Stand aside. My quarrel is with Gatou."

The nearest one smirked, "Kid, you are some kind of idiot. That double pay is mine!" He swung down with his weapon... And missed, Haku easily sidestepping the attack. "Wait, what the f-" He was cut off by a senbon in this throat, and immediately dropped to the ground, completely still. A murmur went through the crowd at that. Faint awe mixed with fear. This kid had really just killed one of them so quickly? Haku was not so indiscriminate, though. The point on his throat was the same as the one used to put Zabuza into a near-death state a week ago. Even if these fools were protecting Gatou, that alone was not worth their deaths. Barely.

"Stand aside," Haku repeated. The mercs were wavering. They all wanted that double pay, and there was no way this kid could take them all, so even if they lost some mercs, someone was going to get the money. None of them wanted to be the first to die, though. Cowardice battled with greed until finally,

"Screw you!" Desperation charged in from left field. Another merc launched himself at Haku with a battle cry, and the proverbial dam burst, the mob of hired swords spilling forwards at a lone target half the size of even the shortest merc.

The idiots never stood a chance.

* * *

><p>Gatou stumbled just before the edge of the yet-unfinished bridge, turning quickly to see if that... that terrifying boy had been killed yet. The mercs were yelling battlecries, so they were at least not all dead yet. N-never mind that those same battlecries were almost always cut off unexpectedly, then followed by the sound of something hitting the ground with a wet thud. Gatou swallowed nervously.<p>

Well, even with a ninja, this... this many mercs would be able to handle it, regardless of casualties, and the more that died trying to kill the boy, the less he had to pay them. Really, he was getting the better deal out of this – double pay for one of them would be more than made up for by the deaths of the others.  
>He pulled a kerchief out of his pocket and wiped his forehead of sweat. The sounds of battle still hadn't stopped. If anything, the mercs sounded more and more terrified and desperate. Maybe... maybe a little added incentive couldn't hurt?<p>

"Tri-Triple pay to whoever kills the brat! You hear me?!" If they had, they gave no indication of it. Gatou repeated the pay rise, his voice shrill with fear. He looked away from the mob of hired swords back to the boat he had arrived on. Was there time to go back? Run, and leave these mercs to their death?

Sure... sure, he could try that. It meant he wouldn't have to pay ANY of them, too, not even that inflated pay for the boy's death.

He became aware of a sudden, horrible silence, and turned back to the mob.

The group had split apart around a single, unharmed figure, silently stalking forward.

Gatou squeaked involuntarily as he felt the figure's eyes rest on him, that horrible killing intent freezing him to the spot. He noticed the mercs cowering away from the child, head-and-shoulders below even the shortest sellsword in the group. What... what the hell was that?! Was this the kind of protection he was paying for?! His mouth worked furiously as he tried to speak, his efforts producing only high, terrified squeaking noises. Eventually, he managed to force out, "QUADRUPLE! I-I'll pay quadruple your base pay to whoever kills him!" The mercs exchanged brief looks, a few of them too scared to take their eyes off the figure who had not even broken their slow, purposeful stride.

The parting grew wider as the killing intent began to intensify with every step towards Gatou. The mogul caught sight of the dead bodies of mercs who'd tried to capitalise on his offer. There was one thing missing which, paradoxically, only seemed to terrify him more.

No blood. Every last body was, while not exactly spotless, considering their profession and hygiene in life, completely clean of blood, only a few visibly bearing silver slivers sticking out of their skin to indicate how they were killed.

"F...Fi-fi- SIX! SIX TIMES YOUR PAY!" None of the mercs so much as twitched. "Se-Seven!" Haku did not break that inevitable pace. "T... TE- ghrk!" He lifted a hand to his throat, feeling the hard metal needle now piercing his flesh.

His flesh. His throat. HIS throat. His THROAT.

I am about to die, Gatou thought. I am going to die, and there will be no blood.

"Your incessant shrieking was annoying, so I paralysed your vocal cords." Gatou looked up, and, had his vocal cords not been paralysed, would have immediately shrieked in terror at the sight of Haku standing not three paces away. As it was, there was only an incoherent gurgling sound as his breath tried to form the sound without the appropriate help from his throat. He dropped the kerchief, falling backwards on his ass again. He waved his hand in front of him, desperate gurgling sounds accompanying each motion.

"aaaarghk! Gurghlk! Gaarlghk!"

"If you are attempting to parley for your life, I am not interested," The cold contempt in that voice matched the face that was speaking it perfectly, "You have violated Zabuza-sama's memory. You DEFILED," A senbon dug into Gatou's right shoulder, "His CORPSE." His left shoulder. Gatou gaped and gurgled in pain. He hadn't even seen the movement that launched the cold steel now burning in his joints, and now he could not feel anything below where those needles were embedded in his arms. More painful gurgling, this time when senbon struck his thighs, then a point in his abdomen, and suddenly he could not feel his legs. He collapsed completely, his limbs occasionally twitching as he lay on his back. Haku grabbed him by his shirt, and lifted him slightly while kneeling to make the task easier. Gatou felt breath on his ear, and his panic subsided slightly. Was... was he about to be told how to save himself? Was he being extended a lifeline?

YES! ANYTHING! He screamed internally, whatever this brat wanted!

"Did you know, Gatou?" He felt steel press against his throat, and stilled completely. "A human can only survive for about three minutes without air. But... our lungs are actually capable of drawing oxygen from water." Gatou blinked. What? "Humans drown simply because our musculature isn't powerful enough to allow us to properly breathe a dense fluid like water." Gatou began to sweat. What... what did this have to do with anything? Then steel pierced his neck, and he felt his throat close shut. "Your larynx will unseal itself in three minutes. You'll die in six. Assuming the fall doesn't kill you first."

Pressure on his chest, and then Gatou was aware that he was falling. As he watched the distance to the edge of the bridge rapidly increase, he suddenly understood what Haku was telling him.

Three minutes from now, his throat would open, and his final breath would be of water.

He was going to die, and there would be no blood.

* * *

><p>Haku dispassionately watched the condemned mogul hit the water with a splash. The young nin winced, a hand coming up to clutch at the painful feeling Gatou's death had brought. Even though he had deserved it... Haku smiled ruefully. That had been the first time. Until now, every kill had been by Zabuza's order, for Zabuza's sake, and so while it had hurt to kill for him, it had been for him, and so Haku could bear it gladly. Now, though... Gatou had been the first person killed of Haku's own initiative. The first time the bloodline-user had accepted the pain of making the choice to take life. It hurt.<p>

It was worth it. Gatou had deserved death, not just for what he was, but also for his insult to the deceased Zabuza... Haku's head snapped up.

Zabuza-sama! Haku spun in place, turning back to face the body of the nukenin past the mob of sellswords. The mercs flinched in place when the false oi-nin's attention seemingly came back upon them. Then Haku moved, fast enough to disappear from ordinary sight, and a fair number of them shrieked in masculine fear, looking wildly for where the killing engine had gone to. One of them spotted their supposed target kneeling by Zabuza and the entire group flinched back again, scuttling away from where Haku was cleaning Gatou's phlegm from Zabuza's still face.

* * *

><p>Kakashi watched the cowed mob carefully. Haku was likely unresponsive again, and so long as no-one threatened Zabuza's body, would probably stay that way. At this point the mob could go either way. With their employer dead, they would have no reason to remain and risk their lives, provided Gatou had paid them before he died. That would be the best-case scenario, as with Gatou dead, there would be no-one to offer arbitrary pay incentives to attack the village or Tazuna. However, if Gatou had not paid them prior to his death, then they were dealing with a lot of angry, armed mercenaries now out of pocket, and it was highly doubtful that a person who was willing to betray an A-rank nukenin for the sole purpose of welching on their pay would have paid mercenaries upfront. Then, confirming his fears, one of the mercs yelled in frustration and anger.<p>

"You damn ninja just killed our meal ticket! Now we're gonna have to attack the town for valuables!"

"Wait, wait a minute!" Naruto quickly interrupted, "Before you do, could you answer just one question?"

"Uh..." The mercs looked between themselves in bemusement, "Yeah? Yeah, sure, why not?"

"Okay, thanks. What valuables? These people are struggling to feed themselves!"

"Bullshit!" came the immediate response. "Then where'd they get the money for this bridge?"

"By using whatever materials we had in storage before Gatou showed up!" Tazuna yelled back. "This bridge is the only way we'll ever be able to support our economy now, and if we don't finish it, we're all going to starve!"

"Uh-huh, sure. Try your sob story on someone else, gramps, we know this was just so you can avoid payin' Gatou his share."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "There are three problems with what you just said. First of all, yes, that is exactly what he said. Secondly, why the hell should they pay Gatou a share in the first place, and third, who told you that, anyway?" A nervous and not unembarrassed mumbling sound, possibly meant to convey an answer, came from the mercs' general direction, and Kakashi was proud of the sheer amount of incredulous disdain Naruto was able to pour into his facial expression. "It was Gatou, wasn't it."

"Sh-shut up!"

"Seriously, did you really think the guy willing to hire a nukenin just to save money would be a trustworthy source of information?"

"The hell else were we supposed to do, he was gonna pay us!" one of them shouted indignantly.

"Yeah! Mercs need to eat too, ya know!"

"Yeah, fine, that goes without saying, but how little was he paying you if you're willing to attack an entire village?" Another few moments of terse murmurs met that question as the mercs attempted to discreetly compare their salaries before the unofficial spokesman at the front answered him.

"It... it was enough... maybe..."

"He was making us pay him back for room and board, though," someone piped up a few rows back.

"Yeah, and at way more than it should have been," concurred another merc off to one side.

"If we tried bringing in food from somewhere else, we got fired! Remember Ryuken?"

The spokeman groaned in defeated frustration, "Damn it, I've made almost nothing off this job!" With that admittance, more and more of the mercenaries began griping to each other or just out loud about their respective states of poverty, and Naruto listened to it all in disbelief before speaking again.

"Why the hell did you accept the job if it was that bad? Hell, why didn't you just quit?" His question was met with assorted sounds of contempt and envy.

"Easy for you to say, little ninja! Everyone wants to hire you guys!"

"Yeah," the spokesman shouted, "Some of us don't get the luxury of refusing jobs because we don't like them!"

"I hadn't eaten for a week!" the friend of the merc who'd been caught smuggling food chimed in.

"Damn it, fighting's all I know how to do!" cried a large merc with a tetsubo slung across his back.

"Well, instead of sacking the village, why not help them?" The mercs, too absorbed in voicing their complaints and politics, didn't hear him at first, so he tried again. "HEY!" They stopped, turning to the weird kid in orange. "Why don't you help out the village and let them help you?"

Everyone not currently incapacitated in some fashion stared at him like he'd just suggested that the sky was plaid and ninja from the Hidden Cloud were actually completely mentally stable. Naruto turned around, taking in Sakura, Kakashi and Tazuna's gaping expressions. He crossed his arms irritably and muttered, "It's not THAT crazy... Tazuna needs workers, the mercs need work, and I'm pretty sure the workers were getting paid in food since there's almost no money here..." There was a collective blink at that, and eyes almost audibly swiveled to where Tazuna was still holding his pickaxe.

"Is... Is that true?" one of the mercs asked tentatively. "If we worked for you, you'd pay us... with food?" Tazuna blinked, awkwardly fiddling with the pickaxe in his hands as he tallied the village's meager food stores in his head.

"Um... well, yes, I guess it is true... We were paying the workers with extra rations. But... but there's so many of you, I don't know if-"

"Gatou's gone, right?" Sakura asked, "So you could probably send out fishing boats again without getting shaken down." Tazuna blinked as he considered that.

"Well... yes, we could, but... we don't have enough people to man those boats and finish building the bridge-"

The merc spokesman cleared his throat.

"Well, if you were willing to agree to paying us in food, we... might be willing to provide you with manpower wherever you need it."

"Hm..." Tazuna was tapping the ground with the pickaxe as he did some more mental calculations, "Well, I can't promise anything until I talk to the wares manager, but... if we got you to do the heavy lifting while our skilled workers directed you, I can see this working."

"Oh, hey," Naruto said, "Speaking of, isn't that the entire village coming up the bridge now? Yo, Inari!"

"Grampa! We all came to help defend our bridge!"

"Oh. Uh..." The old man rubbed his neck, trying to think of some way to ask what he needed without it sounding awkward. "Say, where's Oozoki?" He failed.

"I'm right here, Tazuna!" yelled a gray-haired man just behind Inari, "I couldn't stay out of this when-"

"Yeah, that's great, but, could you answer me something? If we got all our boats out, would we be able to provide for our village and about..." He turned back to do a rough headcount, "Eighty or ninety new bridge-workers?"

"...Huh?" Despite himself, the man pushed his glasses up his nose as he worked it out. "Well... yeah, I think so... just. Depends on the fishing, and it'd be a bit tight for a while, but where would we even get that many new workers?" Tazuna nodded and turned back to the mercs.

"You heard that?"

"We did," the spokeman confirmed.

"You're okay with that?"

There was a prolonged moment of debate in the sellswords' ranks, gradually dying down as it closed in on the spokesman, who listened to the man to his right whisper something in his ear. He nodded solemnly, then turned back to Tazuna.

"We are."

Tazuna tossed his pickaxe to Giichi, before striding forwards to the mercs, to the astonished outcry behind him. He met the merc's gaze and held out his hand.

"We have a deal, then?"

The merc stared him down for a moment, then grinned.

"We do," he said, extending his own hand and shaking on the deal to the cacophonous backdrop of cheering mercenaries. The villagers just stared in confusion, and Kakashi couldn't keep his jaw from hanging open.

"What... what just happened?" Naruto was grinning widely, while Sakura released a sigh of relief and Zabuza coughed.

Wait, what? Kakashi blinked. Did... he just...?

"Za... Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked tremulously.

That's not possible, Kakashi thought. His heart's gone. He's _dead_. That had to have been just muscle spasms from-

Zabuza coughed again, and groaned in pain.

Then he opened his eyes.

"Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried in mixed joy and amazement, "You're alive?!" Everyone but Team Seven immediately took two steps in the opposite direction. Kakashi pushed himself to his feet and moved as quickly as he could to where Zabuza was weakly trying to breathe.

"He's still alive? How-" Haku immediately stood and turned to face him, senbon in hand, a very determined warning look directed at Kakashi. "I'm not going to try to kill him... again," he winced. That probably wasn't a point in his favor. "He took an arm – my arm - through his chest. He should be dead already. I just want to find out... why..." He trailed off, Haku's expression hardening with every word he said. He doubted he was winning any kind of goodwill.

"Oi-nin-san." Naruto's voice came up behind him, and Kakashi noticed the determined look in front of him soften slightly. "You know he's going to die anyway, don't you." Naruto pointed at the hole in Zabuza's chest. "People don't just get better from that. Not even ninja." Haku resolutely refused to look at the red hole in Zabuza's chest, beginning to tremble as denial and determination to keep Kakashi away fought with reality.

"I'm not going to hurt him any more than I already have." Kakashi added softly. "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could do much worse." Haku's head shook from side to side briefly. "All I want to do is determine how he's managed to stay alive, whether it's just bull-headed willpower or... or something else, I don't know..." Haku's hands were trembling, but did not drop.

"Haku," Zabuza wheezed, "It's fine."

"But... Zabuza-sama, he-"

"I said-" He launched into a coughing fit, and Haku spun around to try to help, the potentially hostile ninja ignored. Gingerly, Haku unwrapped the bandages stained with blood from his mouth from around Zabuza's face, then tried cradling his head in a more comfortable position. He cleared his throat, "I said, it's fine. He's right. I'm dead anyway. What does it matter if he does speed it along?" Haku nodded, fighting back tears, and Kakashi knelt next to the dying nukenin, feeling his wrist for a pulse. There. Faint and growing weaker, but there was definitely a heartbeat.

That's not possible, he thought, looking at the bleeding, fist-sized hole in Zabuza's chest. My Raikiri went through his heart, I'm sure of it. Placing his ear to the un-ruined part of Zabuza's chest, he listened carefully for a heartbeat... and he found one. In completely the wrong place.

His heart is on the right? That... So that's it.

"Zabuza, you're...?" Zabuza simply met Kakashi's gaze evenly, saying nothing. There was nothing to be said. Kakashi had obviously worked it out. Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Mist, had dextrocardia. "I see."

That explains a lot... Kakashi mused. I always did wonder why Kiri would deny such an obvious prodigy, but most villages wouldn't be willing to risk an active ninja with his condition. Still, to survive the physical shock of having an arm shoved through his chest, even if it did miss his heart... He's one tough bastard.  
>He looked at Haku, whose tears were still being held at bay in front of Zabuza. Kakashi sighed at that forlorn look. "I think we'll go check on Sasuke. Naruto, come on."<p>

Naruto nodded solemnly and turned to follow his teacher. Kakashi didn't miss the brief glance he sent over his shoulder, and despite the confusing mess this had turned into, Kakashi couldn't help but think that his own teacher would be proud of his son.

"Naruto! Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called to them. "Sasuke-kun's all right!"

"Yo, Sasuke! You missed the good part!" Naruto yelled back.

"Bite me," he responded with a grimace. Kakashi rolled his eye as the natural order reasserted itself.

* * *

><p>Less happy times were occurring a few feet away, the dying Zabuza's head resting upon Haku's lap.<p>

"You're shivering, Haku. I thought you couldn't get cold." he commented wryly.

"Zabuza-sama..." Tears began forcing their way past Haku's willpower, dripping onto Zabuza's face.

"Stop crying, Haku. A ninja must nev-" He was interrupted by a sudden blood-soaked coughing fit, only to grimace at the unnecessary rapid movement of his chest. "...never show their emotions." Haku's head tilted back, attempting to stem the tears like Zabuza had ordered.

"My... my apologies, Zabuza-sama. I will... I shall endeavor to b-" Another harsh cough from Zabuza cut off those words.

"...Haku... it's fine. I'll allow it this once. You... if you want to cry, then go ahead." Haku's lip trembled. The tears wanted to come, but after the reminder of the proper behaviour for a ninja...

Zabuza smirked, "Haku, please don't make me order you to cry." Haku laughed bitterly at that, face leaning forward again to look Zabuza in the eye, tears now streaming freely.

"Zabuza-sama," Haku began, choking slightly, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?"

Eyes flicked towards that horrible red hole in his chest, "I was unable to lay down my life to-" Zabuza snorted dismissively.

"Haku. In all the time we've been together, you've served me well. This wound is a consequence of my own carelessness, and I will not let you insult me by apologising for my mistake." Haku digested that silently for a moment. "Haku."

"...Of... Of course, Zabuza-sama..."

A few moments passed in silence, Zabuza's head resting against Haku's hands and legs. He seemed to be wrestling with something internally, and finally sighed in resignation.

"You've only ever been loyal to me, Haku. I suppose I should thank you for that. While I still have the chance to, anyway." Haku's head turned from side-to-side, hair swaying with the movement.

"You needed me, Zabuza-sama. That was thanks enough." A wan smile. "Always."

Zabuza grunted in response and forced down another coughing fit.

"Still," he mused, "There is one thing I always wondered about."

"Zabuza-sama?"

"Why did you try to keep your gender a secret?" he asked her flatly, and a bright flush colored Haku's face.

"Z-Zabuza-sama! I-I never-!"

"Haku," Zabuza cut her off, neither his tone nor his expression tolerant of any excuse, "Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

She sagged at that, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

"I... my apologies, Zabuza-sama. I should not have tried to deceive you."

"Well, what were you planning to do once you hit puberty?" he asked her in bemusement, "Bind yourself? I'd smell the blood, too."

Haku blushed harder, trying to find something interesting in the featureless mist.

"I... ah," she stammered, "I already... Th-there are certain herbs th-that can..."

Zabuza cut her off.

"I just want to know why, Haku."

"I... I was... afraid..." She trailed off, unsure how to explain her fears in words.

Zabuza sighed.

"You were afraid I'd cast you aside if I knew you were female." he ventured, and Haku nodded.

She had been alone, unneeded and unwanted, and Zabuza had rescued her from that hell, but... all the same, she couldn't forget that misogyny she saw in her time as a street-rat. Little urchin girls were never on the streets for as long as little urchin boys. She hadn't really understood why at the time, too young to care about anything beyond food and warmth, only knowing that being a young girl on the streets was a very Bad Thing. She couldn't take the chance, that if Zabuza, if the one person who had needed her, knew what she really was, that he would reject her. That rejection, after finally gaining hope, a reason to live and then losing it... That would have been worse than simply being killed after he had found out. At least then, she could have died along with her reason to live.

"...Haku, do you know why I lead a coup against the Mizukage?" Zabuza asked seemingly out of nowhere, and Haku had to admit, she didn't. "It was because of the previous Mizukage," he explained. "Because of the Third, Kirigakure was kept strong, and so were its ninja. The Third Mizukage was a fine leader, peerless in battle and putting the needs of the village as a whole before personal concerns. Under such a rule, I was proud to call myself a Kiri-nin." There was a certain tone to his voice, that Haku knew he was telling the truth. He was speaking of the Third Mizukage with... almost reverence. She had known him to speak of others with occasional begrudging respect, but never something like this. "Then the Fourth came to power after the Third's death." He continued, his voice hardening in anger. "He blamed his predecessor's death on the Bloodline clans, and led Kirigakure on the purge of its Bloodlines. The village went along with it because they were angry at the sudden death of our leader. Only a few of us saw what was actually happening at the time. The Fourth's decisions were not his own. He was being manipulated by someone else, behind the scenes." He snorted in contempt, "The Bloodline clans had nothing to do with the Third's death, but after the Kaguya attempted genocide of the village, the rest of them were an easy political target. The Fourth rallied Kiri against Bloodline-users in order to gain support. No one had even considered him as a candidate until then. I knew that, under his rule, Kirigakure would be robbed of the strength that had been accumulated during the Third's rule. Hell, it was already starting. So I lead those loyal to the village, others who had realised, or at least suspected, the source of his political skill against him. We were," he paused, his fists clenching hard and his face taking on a truly terrible visage, "betrayed," he spat. "And I fled my own village. I vowed to return and depose the Fourth, and return Kirigakure to the glory it had known under the Third." He looked Haku in the eye, "Everything I have done, I have done to honor the memory of the Third Mizukage. She was the greatest ninja to ever bear our village's name."

"She...!"

"Haku, what makes a ninja great is not how they are born. It is how they react to the world around them. It is how they master the opportunities they encounter in life. Own every chance you are given, make it your own, and you will become a great ninja." With that, he relaxed. He'd said what he needed. There was nothing else. As if sensing that from his sudden shift, Haku began tearing up again, and Zabuza simply smiled up at her.

"You will be great one day, Haku. It's strange," he mused quietly, fighting for every breath, "I always thought my greatest regret... would be my failure to oust the Fourth... Instead... That I won't... see..."

* * *

><p>And on that day, upon that bridge, so passed a legend; Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist.<p>

A ninja, who killed without hesitation or mercy, unto his final days.

A man, who never strayed from his loyalty to his honored Mizukage.

* * *

><p>Five ninja were gathered to pay respects to a makeshift grave. The site had been chosen to overlook the bridge that was once again bustling with laborers, but far more than had been there at any point in the last week. The grave itself was a simple affair, a hole dug in earth and marked with the Neck-taking Cleaver.<p>

* * *

><p>Haku was looking not at the sword that served as a grave marker, but instead at the grave itself, her eyes boring into the earth as though she would be able to see Zabuza's face underneath. She imagined she could, anyway, as she made one final vow to the man who had saved her from the hell of having nothing to live for.<p>

Zabuza-sama. You gave me a purpose, a reason to exist. For that... I owe you everything. More than everything. I had no dream of my own, so I offered myself to yours.

That has not changed. I will not abandon you or your goals merely because you are dead. I still have no dream of my own, and you... can no longer fulfil yours yourself. So, I shall make your dream mine. I have never known Kirigakure, but for your sake, I will swear loyalty to that village and its people. I will become Mizukage, and I will restore your home! I will continue to live for you... for your dream, Zabuza-sama.

* * *

><p>Kakashi's own thoughts were rather more morbid. Zabuza's deathbed confession as to his motives... it had forced Kakashi to re-think his opinion of the nukenin by examining how he would react in a similar situation.<p>

If that happened to Konoha, he wondered, if the Hokage died suddenly and a despot somehow took the office, would I take the same actions Zabuza has? His answer came without hesitation, which surprised him.

Yes, I would. My loyalty is to Konoha proper and not to any one person, not even the Hokage. That answer would be the same for any self-respecting Konoha ninja: our loyalty is to the people of Konoha, and the institution only when that institution is loyal to the people as well. We are willing to give everything for the Hokage because the Hokage is willing to give everything for us.

That is why I followed Minato-sensei then. It is why I follow the Third now.

His eye drifted to an orange-clad genin.

It is why I will follow the Hokage to come.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was staring at the makeshift grave like everyone else, but wasn't really looking at it, instead thinking on a subject that he held near and dear to his heart. Revenge.<p>

For a long time, he had sworn that he would seek power and strength at any cost, for the sake of killing Itachi. Honor demanded that he do this alone, that no other could be permitted to help him. Itachi was an Uchiha, had murdered the Uchiha, and left Sasuke, an Uchiha, to avenge them. Thus, this was an Uchiha matter. Revenge would be had by an Uchiha, and only an Uchiha, no matter the cost... and it was this that held Sasuke in such a conundrum.

Zabuza had lived his life for revenge. For revenge against a tyrant, he had aligned himself with other tyrants. Sasuke was not so foolish as to miss the hypocrisy there. Revenge at any cost, and it had led to... what? A lonely grave over a bridge, his revenge unfulfilled?

More than that, though, was Naruto. He'd considered Naruto's words in the forest to be nothing but naïve sophistry, a philosophy that couldn't possibly survive the real world. Yet... Yet he couldn't deny the value of teamwork. For all he preferred to work alone, his ninja education had been thorough, and he thoroughly understood the value of allies. How much more than alliance is friendship, really? He didn't know. But he did know that he'd never have gotten out of those mirrors without Naruto, and he knew that he and Naruto had read each other far better than he could possibly have expected, given the limited time they'd had to train together. Was that what friendship was?

* * *

><p>Sakura had much to dwell on as well, but unlike the others very little of her musing strayed to Zabuza for very long. This mission had been her first taste of combat. Real, actually potentially lethal combat. She'd been constantly going over what she might do in this situation, not least because of her mother's own worrying that was just a hair short of outright smothering, and her dad's uncharacteristically serious warnings about a ninja's lifestyle. Dozens of nightmare scenarios, all of them caused by her. She had made a mistake, or frozen up in the face of danger, or outright panicked and put her team and teacher in danger. All variations on the same theme: She wasn't ready and she was going to get someone hurt because of it. She had no idea what was going to happen, or what she would do in response, and to the book-smart kunoichi, that was terrifying. Well... now she knew. She hadn't panicked. She hadn't frozen. She might have made a few mistakes, but no one was endangered as a result.<p>

Granted, she hadn't really contributed as much she'd liked overall, but part of that could be attributed to their opponent's own experience with enemy genjutsu. Sakura allowed a small smile to form. She could do this. She had what it takes to be a ninja.

As secretly elated as she was, Sakura did not notice that she had not once asked herself what Sasuke would think.

* * *

><p>It's been a long time since I was here the first time, Naruto thought to himself. I wonder what the me of then would have to say about the me of now? What was it I said back then? 'I'm going to run straight down the path where I don't regret anything...' Right?<p>

Well, if it's regrets, then I've got a lot of them. Hell, something as convenient as a path without regrets could never exist, and even if it did... Even if one person could live without any regret at all, it would be at the expense of those around him. So, I... am going to regret. I'm going to make mistakes, and I'm going to regret those mistakes when I look back on them. I'm not perfect, damn it!

But I promise, right now, I'm never going to regret that regret itself. I'm going to run straight down my own path, not some railroad set out by some future version of me. I don't care what kind of obstacles or wrong turns I make, I WILL make the road I walk with my own two hands.

* * *

><p>And on that day, before that grave, five ninja paid their respects to a man who never wavered in his resolve by examining their own.<p>

* * *

><p>Three days later, the bridge was completed, and the entire village plus their unexpected extra labor gathered to see off the five ninja who had had such an impact on the events of the last two weeks. Even those mercs Haku had incapacitated during her moment of cold rage were present, though still very nervous in the presence of the un-masked kunoichi. For her part, Haku was deliberately ignoring the nervous looks she was getting from the men she had incapacitated<br>Kakashi had been surprised on two fronts in the last three days. Haku had been the first surprise. Following Zabuza's burial and informal memorial, he'd expected her just to leave. Instead she'd announced that she intended to accompany them to Konoha. He'd almost said no, before he caught the look she'd sent at Naruto.

Ah, hormones.

The second surprise had been that the majority of the mercs had indeed lived up to their word and provided hard labor in exchange for food and lodging from the villagers. Granted, there had been some who had tried to eat-and-run, and promptly left once they realised they couldn't, but the general sentiment among the remainder had been along the lines of, 'there's some in every group'. Indeed, they seemed grateful to Tazuna and his village, and to Naruto for suggesting it in the first place.

Which brought them here. The bridge was finished, and Team Seven, plus one uncertain kunoichi, were about to leave. So, of course, the entire village and the remaining mercs decided they ALL had to be present to say their goodbyes. After speaking to what seemed like everyone in the country at least twice and accepting their thanks and good wishes, the townspeople had finally decided they were ready to let the five ninja go.

Almost.

"Y'know, Naruto, I think we're gonna be hearing a lot about you in the future," the merc spokesman said. He grinned, "I'm looking forward to it."

Naruto tried to play modest.

"What, me? Nah, I'm just some genin, seriou-"

"The hell are you talking about, kid? If you hadn't made that suggestion a couple days ago, my boys and I would be, well... we'd be shit outta luck, wouldn't we?" The other mercs sent up a cry of agreement behind him. "You coulda just left us all out to hang an' dry, but ya didn't. That means something to us, kid."

"Damn straight!" another merc cried out.

"It helped us out, too, Naruto," Tazuna told him, "This many new workers on the bridge meant that we could get more of our fishermen out to sea to provide for the village in the meantime. It'll probably take a while for trade to pick up again, but we've got a lot of work that needs doing until then, anyway."

"Yeah... we..." the merc spokesman looked sheepish. "We've been talking it over, and a lot of us have been thinking that this was one too many close calls. Even if Boss Tazuna," The old man grumbled good-naturedly at the honorific the mercenaries had given him, "Even if he says it helped him out too, we know damn well he didn't need us to build this thing, not with Gatou gone. So, some of us have decided; we're retiring from the life of a mercenary."

Kakashi blinked owlishly, "What?"

"Wait, really?" Sakura asked.

"Well, not all of us." A younger merc piped up, "Unlike these old men, some of us still got some fight in us!"

"And what use is fighting spirit when you're starving from lack of work, you dumbass, huh?" Despite the words, the lack of heat and accompanying smiles made it clear they were intended in good humor. "The people here have offered us jobs and homes, and we're taking them up on the offer. The offer's also open to any mercs who want out like we did. Who knows? Some guys out there might actually take up the offer. We don't exactly have a retirement plan in this line of work!" The ex-merc finished with a raucous laugh.

"Well, while I'm glad you decided to find a safer line of work," Kakashi began diplomatically, "I can't help but be worried about-"

"You got our word," The younger interrupted sincerely, "If we can help it, we're not gonna be helping Konoha's enemies. Ain't none of us going to forget what Uzumaki Naruto and Boss Tazuna did for us here. Ain't that right, you bastards!" The un-retired mercenaries sent up a loud roar of agreement.

"Enough already!" Tazuna yelled over his shoulder. "I honestly don't know what we would have done without you. But, I think we've kept you long enough already."

"I suppose we should leave now," Kakashi quipped, "Before you can use the hour as an excuse to keep us longer." That got a few barking laughs from the assembly.

They finally did leave, with farewells being sent back and forth until they were out of reasonable earshot.

* * *

><p>Once they were a little ways along the path, Haku turned her attention to Naruto. "Perhaps, once we arrive in Konoha, you could," she paused, thinking how to word it, "Give me a guided tour?"<p>

"Sure," Naruto nodded. Haku smiled in gratitude, and Naruto grinned widely, "First stop: Ichiraku's! The greatest of temples to the divine glory that is ramen!" Sakura noticed Haku's light flush at the sincere joy with which Naruto described (his opinion of) the many important places and people of Konoha to her, and she realised that what she'd offered Naruto could be interpreted as a date. Haku certainly seemed to think so, judging by her grateful smile and how closely she walked to him. Sakura glanced at Sasuke. If even Haku could get a date, and from Naruto, probably the most clueless boy in the world... Sakura swallowed as Sasuke noticed her looking out the corner of her eye. She didn't think she'd really been all that much of a bother to him lately, and he'd even complimented her on this mission... maybe...?

"Sasuke-kun, while they're doing that, would you maybe... I mean, when we get back to Konoha, would you perhaps like to-"

"No." It was not vicious, it was not heated. Just a simple 'no'... and all the more painful for it.

"Oi, come on, Sasuke," Naruto interjected, "Why not treat her a bit? You only live once, right?" Sasuke scowled at the jab about his being put into a near-death state.

"Screw you," he told Naruto.

"Sakura would kill me," came the response, and then he was gone, running ahead before they could realise just what he'd implied. Haku was the first to infer the joke, hiding her amused grin, followed by Kakashi, who began snickering under his breath. Then Sakura and Sasuke caught it almost simultaneously, Sasuke palming his face as Sakura's turned bright red in a combination of embarrassment and righteous indignation as she rushed forward to catch Naruto, her clenched fists promising a world of pain if she did.

"NARUTO~! HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE... LIKE THAT!"

Haku turned to Kakashi, "Are they always this energetic?" she asked.

"Energetic..." He chuckled. "That's... one way of putting it, I guess..."

"Idiots..." Sasuke muttered under his breath, and Kakashi smiled. He had not imagined the warmth in Sasuke's voice.

* * *

><p>"You know, Boss, this bridge still needs a name."<p>

"I'd already thought about that. I considered naming it after the boy- no, the ninja who made this all possible." The ex-merc next to him nodded thoughtfully.

"Kinda sappy, ain't it? Still, I like the idea, Boss. The kid deserves a little recognition."

"Please stop calling me that..."

"How's Old Man, then?" Inari chuckled at that.

"Boss it is," Tazuna backpedaled. "Anyway, I thought about it, then I thought that maybe it would better to name the bridge for what happened on it, and what it will hopefully allow to happen many more times in the future." The veteran gave him a quizzical look.

"The Bridge of Redemption."

* * *

><p>Author's Corner<p>

My sincerest apologies. I have no justification or excuse, only remorse and regret.

You know what I'm talking about.

and now onto talking about the chapter itself.

Four things about this chapter I'd like to talk about:

1-How Chidori works.

It's a block of lightning-element chakra suspended before your outstretched hand as you throw yourself at the enemy so quickly it CAUSES TUNNEL VISION. That is NOT a precise scalpel of lightning, that's a blunt instrument of thunder that operates on the principle of overwhelming force.

If you're wondering about the liquefication thing? Go watch a video of a bullet passing through an apple. Instant applesauce.

2-Haku's VENGEANCE.

Haku is not thinking clearly, if at all. She just watched the one person she based her life around get killed, and then someone spat on him.

To help you understand, imagine if your idol, the person you respect more than anyone or thing in the world died, and then someone maligned their memory in front of you. You'd probably want to punch them in the throat, yes? Haku goes JUST a bit further.

Beware The Nice Ones, kids.

3-Zabuza's heart being in the wrong place.

Dextrocardia is a real, actual thing: wiki/Dextrocardia

As for why I gave it to Zabuza, it was an attempt to explain why such an obvious prodigy wouldn't be allowed to become a ninja. He SLAUGHTERED an entire graduating class of genin a hundred-strong. That kind of skill and ability doesn't just spontaneously happen one day. He would have talent and said talent would have been obvious to everyone whose opinion mattered. The only two reasons I can think to keep him from active duty would be potential medical complications (which Dextrocardia has) or politics.

I went with the one that required the least investigation into the Hidden Mist's misty past.

4-Haku's gender.

The only sources in-universe we have for Haku being male is when Haku and Zabuza "reveal" it in front of Naruto and Team Seven, respectively. Forgive me if I don't take a ninja's word to the enemy at face value.

If you want to get meta and claim Word Of God states Haku is male, then I can get meta and claim that Haku was originally female, but made male by editorial mandate to reduce the Squick of a fifteen-year-old girl being wholly devoted to a grown man. That kinda backfired, judging by how much yaoi of the two there is. (MEIN EYES!)

EDIT: Relden Calder cast Arcane Disjunction! Greater Wall of Text was Dispelled!


	13. Chapter 13a

Two years earlier

* * *

><p>A lone figure trudged through the desert. Short, vibrantly red hair stuck to his neck and scalp, matted with salt and sand. What skin could be seen was wrinkled, and despite the feverish red color, shook as though every muscle was shivering. His breath came short and quick, his eyes sunken in their sockets and staring unseeingly at a tall cliff face that had been steadily growing over the horizon. When he finally came close enough that the base came into view, he finally stumbled, before allowing himself to fall face-first into the sand.<p>

"Not... yet..." He rasped quietly. He attempted to lever himself up with his arms, the shaking intensifying as he put weight on them. Though he didn't manage to stand, he was at least able to roll over such that the sand wasn't pressing into his face any more. That was an improvement. Maybe. He grimaced as the sun beat down on his exposed face. Maybe not.

...Huh. When he was lying on his back like this, it was almost like that time when Naruto beat hi-

nO no NoT reAL noT haPPenEd YET

His breath caught as his overworked mind once again tried to assimilate his new memories without the benefit of sleep.

His head hurt. His head hurt and he couldn't muster the strength to lift his hands to cradle it. Why did it hurt, Mother?

NOT MOTHER NO

SHUKAKU

SHUKAKU LIES

...Yes. It was easier now than when it first started. He felt... more like he did before this happened, and he ended up back in his younger body _before he got his older memories beForE he wAs Not GAARA MY LITTLE BOY MY-_

SHUKAKU LIES

Water. He needed water. Didn't he? He felt hot. Water helped with that, didn't it?

"Gaara!"

That sounded like Temari. Why was he thinking about water and then Temari. Did Temari have water?

There was a sound like someone dropping to their knees next to him after swearing at the sight of him. Then Temari's face. Oh, hi, Temari, Gaara thought. What are you doing out here in the desert?

"We live in the desert, Gaara."

They did? Oh yeah. That seemed kind of silly. After all, where was the water?

"I've got it here, Gaara. Just-" her face disappeared and he felt himself being lifted gently. There was a sloshing sound-

water?

-and Temari's face returned, her hand holding something rough and damp against his lips.

WATER

He drank as best he could from the wet cloth, cursing his current weakness once he was lucid enough to do so. He suspected Temari had treated the water with something, as he could feel himself noticeably becoming less weak. He figured he might be able to stand soon, but soon realised he wouldn't have a choice in the matter.

"So, the Jinchuuriki has returned." Temari looked up from worrying over her little brother to see ANBU arranged around them. She let Gaara down gently, dropping the waterskin she'd brought into his lap before standing and unslinging her fan from over her back, positioning herself as best she could between him and the ANBU.

"Stand aside, Temari. We're to take him with us. Kazekage's orders." He stopped. "...Is he trying to make himself sick?" Temari turned to see Gaara up-ending the skin down his throat, chugging from it like the water of life.

"Gaara, you can't- You're badly dehydrated, you'll just throw it all back up if you-!"

He paused long enough to croak, "No choice," and promptly resumed quickly rehydrating himself. His sides visibly contracted painfully a couple of times, as though he was attempting to vomit the water he'd already swallowed, accompanied by sounds of choking as he forced his body back under control, but he did not spill even a drop. Temari and ANBU just watched it happen in tableau of horrified bemusement. Only once the skin was completely empty did Gaara release it, gasping for breath.

"Well, now he's drunk his fill, I suppose that can serve as his last meal for a while."

Temari turned back to them with a growl, "Don't you touch him, or I will-"

"Temari." Even in his current state, Gaara's tone was not that of a scared child. It was that of a commander telling his subordinate to stand down. He did not need to use words to explain, and she understood.

"You sure about this, Gaara?" He did not respond, and Temari smirked, "Not going to tell me again, huh? Fine." She carefully moved away from between him and the ANBU.

Gaara slowly pulled himself to his knees, then pushing himself upright, forcing his heart rate and involuntary spasms under control as best he could. He turned, facing the ANBU arrayed before him with his usual stoic visage in place. When he spoke, it was with clear voice and unmistakable intent.

"I am Gaara of the Desert, Ichibi Jinchuuriki, ninja of Sunagakure, son of the Fourth Kazekage," He declared, "And I will speak with my father."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<strong>

Right, well, time to explain some things.

First, some changes. I am going to be trying to release a chapter every month at least in coming year, however, the length will not be as extensive as previously. I'm hoping a regular update schedule will at least solve some of the problems I've been having.

As for what's just occurred, well - Gaara's back, and he is in control.

Fangirls may begin screaming now.


	14. Chapter 13b

"Here it is!" Naruto cried happily, "Konoha!" He spread his arms wide, standing proud in the middle of the enormous village gate, ignoring the occasional glances from the steady trickle of people passing by in both directions. "This is the best place in the world! Sure, it's not perfect," he shrugged, "but like the Sage himself said, 'bring me ketchup from any house!'"

Sasuke facepalmed.

"He asked for a mustard seed from a home that didn't know grief." Sakura corrected him. "Honestly, if you're going to quote people, at least make sure you remember it correctly."

"Ah, ketchup, mustard, whatever." Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "The point is, we're the best, right?"

"While I agree with you on principle," Kakashi drawled, his orange book still out of sight, "I can't help but think we're both somewhat biased to be making that claim."

"But- But Konoha is awesome! There's so many awesome places!" Naruto protested.

"Like Ichiraku's?" Haku offered.

"Exactly!" he confirmed. "When you think of Konoha, you think of Ichiraku!"

"Um... Actually, before I came here, the first thing to come to mind was, well..." She pointed to the four enormous faces carved into the mountain face at the back of the village.

"Ah! I know, isn't it great!" Sakura opined. "The Hokage Monument is the greatest symbol of Konoha's pride in its leadership. The practice was started by the First Hokage, who hoped for it to represent that every Hokage would always watch over the village." She recited the information proudly, eager to fill the role of tour guide. Haku coughed awkwardly. Most people outside of Konoha or the Land of Fire actually saw the endeavour in a much less flattering, and far more egotistical light. Really, who carves a twenty-foot effigy of their face into a mountain, anyway?

"Mou, Sakura, you can't just do that, you know?" Sakura blinked, turning to where Naruto was whining. "If you wanna show someone your home town, you can't just do the tour guide thing. You gotta give them the personal touch!" Haku noticeably perked up at that.

"Then did you have an idea, Naruto?"

"Of course! First, Ichiraku!" Sakura rolled her eyes. "Then, there's this one store run by this really cool old lady, and of course we can't forget Ichiraku, there's the Academy, and I need to introduce you to Iruka-sensei – he's awesome, you'll like him – and I know Teuchi-jii-san will like you too, and uh..." Naruto paused, racking his brain for other locations he considered important. "Hm... I guess my place...?" Haku's blush was almost luminescent. "But that's not that important-"

"Ah- No, that's- I mean, I- Uh-" She wanted to see his home, but wasn't it kind of a big deal when a man took a girl back to where he lived? For all that she was touted as 'pure', Haku knew very well what could go on between a man and a woman behind closed doors. Things like 'this' and 'that'...

Oh, Sage, oh, wow, oh, Zabuza-sama, WHAT DO I DO?

Naruto continued, oblivious to Haku's inner turmoil. "Oh, and there's the Hyuuga Clan compound. I guess they're important."

Sakura blinked. "Wait, wha-"

"But first things first. Ichiraku!"

"...Never mind." She slumped and sighed. It was just Naruto. Maybe one day she'd be able to take his personality in stride, but that wasn't today.

* * *

><p>"Um... Kakashi-san?" the jounin turned to his name being called, one of the chuunin at the gate walking towards them. He tried placing the other man's name.<p>

"Kotetsu, right?"

He nodded. "Yes. The Hokage already received the report you sent on ahead. He's asked to see you as soon as you returned, along with your new..." His gaze drifted to where Haku was still rather hot and flustered. She froze, then turned to meet his gaze and offered a placid smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "...friend?" he offered, and the smile reached her eyes when he did. Kotetsu fought the urge to swallow nervously. He couldn't shake an uncomfortable feeling about this girl. It was weird, but it was similar to what he'd felt around the Fourth the few times they'd met in person. Not really charisma, but more like... purity? But not. It was difficult to describe, even back then.

Bah, he was overthinking things. That was Izumo's job. He waved them on before returning to his old friend by the gate, watching them make their way to the Hokage Tower. Sandaime-sama knew what he doing, right?

* * *

><p>"So, is that all, then?" Hiruzen asked them.<p>

"So far as I'm aware, Hokage-sama," Kakashi confirmed. It had been a relatively straightforward debriefing thus far; they'd arrived at the tower, been shown to the Hokage's office, and then relayed the events as they had happened from their own perspectives. It had been relatively clean and tidy and very few loose ends needed to be discussed, and really there was only one unusual part about it, which could perhaps be explained by one of those few loose ends – admittedly, a rather human-sized loose end, which was currently trying to stay as physically close to Naruto as possible. Haku's presence certainly explained why they were being debriefed by the Hokage in person.

"I see. In that case, then, Team 7 is dismissed. You may collect your pay on the way out."

"Um, Hokage-sama, about that..." Sakura began, "We, um... We're being paid for a C-rank mission, right? I mean, if we have to press Tazuna and the others to pay for the higher-rank, we... I'm okay with just C-rank." She almost seemed to shrink in front of him.

"Right!" Naruto agreed. "Even if he did lie, we still accepted the higher-difficulty mission at the same pay!" Hiruzen quirked his brow at that, and the other rose to meet it when Sasuke simply grunted in assent.

"That won't be necessary," he told them, "While it is true that you accepted the mission pay as-is, Konoha reimburses its ninja properly. There is also... another matter as regards that," he told them evasively, with a glance at Haku, "one which can be discussed at a later date."

"It's all right," Haku spoke up, "I know there was a bounty on Zabuza-sama's head. You can... you can deal with it now, if you want."

"I find it is generally impolite to discuss profiting from another's death while that person or their family is still in the room, young lady," Hiruzen told her not unkindly. "It is only money. It can wait."

"I don't think any of us mind waiting over that, Hokage-sama," Kakashi noted with relief.

"Then, if that is all concerns you had...?" He paused for anyone to speak up.

"What happens to Haku now?" Naruto asked.

"That is something I need to discuss with her. You three," he nodded to the genin, "May go. Kakashi, you and our new guest will stay for the moment."

"I take it Morino-san won't be joining us for this, then?" Kakashi asked.

"Not at first," he was told, Sarutobi not taking his eyes off Haku, "and not if it proves unnecessary."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p>Once the door was closed behind Team 7, Sarutobi finally began on Haku.<p>

"Why are you here?" he asked directly. She seemed caught short by that, so he explained, "You wear the symbol of Mist, yet you willingly follow a team of Leaf genin back to Konoha. Why? Do you intend to take up the Leaf?"

"I'm sorry, but no."

"Then why are you here?"

"I..." She took a deep breath. "I wish to uphold Zabuza-sama's dream."

Sarutobi exchanged a glance with Kakashi, "Which is?"

"I will become the Mizukage and restore Kirigakure."

"If you are looking for Kirigakure, you seem to be a little lost," he quipped in response.

"I-I need to learn."

"Learn what?" Kakashi asked. Was she here to steal ninjutsu? Military secrets? Operational protocols?

"You may not have noticed on the way here, Hatake-san. You probably don't think anything of it, living here." She took a deep breath. "When Zabuza-sama told me of Kirigakure, as it was, he spoke of civilians like they were merely tolerated. As though they were only allowed in the village to do the jobs that Kiri-nin either could not or would not do themselves for various reasons. It was a ninja village where ninja ruled and those who were not were looked down upon, either as necessary burdens or even as parasites."

Sarutobi did not noticeably stiffen. He was well aware of the prejudices which had carried over from the pre-village era. Konoha was very fortunate in that regard.

Haku continued her reasoning, "The people of Konoha, your civilian population, are bright and happy. They own their own businesses and they do not cower as your ninja pass. Services are offered to ninja and civilian alike without discrimination or coercion." She looked him straight in the eye, "Konoha is, if not the largest, then the most prosperous and populous of the ninja villages. I believe I now know why."

"That is relevant to your 'learning', is it?"

"Of course. If I am to help Kirigakure as Mizukage, I must be the best Mizukage I can. I must study the other villages' methods, and how I might apply them to Kiri. Kirigakure's policies on civilians at the very least, must change, if they have not already."

Sarutobi considered that as he kept her in his gaze, while Kakashi wondered at Haku's resolve. Willing to leap into potentially enemy territory for the sake of a village she had likely never even visited? That was...

"Well, this is rather awkward," Sarutobi broke into that train of thought, "You seem to be telling the truth. Which means I now have a fairly powerful and skilled ninja with allegiances to a foreign power who wants to remain in Konoha for reasons that could potentially be construed as espionage."

"What? Ah-" She was suddenly that yes, one could interpret her reasons as such, "No, that's not what I," She denied, "It wouldn't be anything sensitive to operations or military-related, just… just public law and civilian life and-"

"All of which could arguably be used to plan an invasion." Sarutobi cut her off, and Haku realised he was right. Learning a target's routine was one of the best ways to eliminate said target, and she had just admitted to wanting to learn Konoha's daily routine. She really, really wanted to drop her face into her hand right now. The Hokage probably thought she was some sort of spy now, or worse, an incompetent one, who was out for revenge for Zabuza's death.

Right. Well. She obviously can't stay here, then.

"My apologies for wasting your time. Shall I depart, then?" The Hokage raised an eyebrow at how casually she had suggested just leaving. As though she could bypass the entire village's security, himself included.

Well, all she needed was a little bit of water and slightly more time to use it. She'd left a mirror outside Konoha just in case something like this happened and she needed an escape route. It had been tricky getting away from Kakashi long enough to do so, but it had been worth it, apparently.

"That won't be necessary, Haku."

Wouldn't it? Wait, that was the first time he'd used her name.

"Oh, so you have a plan, then, Sandaime-sama?"

"Of course." He grinned, "I may have to dust it off a bit, but I believe there does exist an official solution for this kind of situation."

"May I ask what?" Please don't be capture and interrogation, please don't be capture and interroga-

"It's called Foreign Diplomatic Leave. It hasn't really been used all that much since its conception, and it was intended for slightly different circumstances, but, well," He chuckled, "For once, the letter of the law is in our favour. The basic idea is that you will stay here under the watchful eye of a jounin or special jounin caretaker, who will make sure that you do not poke anywhere you should not be poking. The protocol was originally to dictate the terms of exchange of political hostages between villages, but..." He grimaced. "The world being as it was at the time, such an exchange was more or less a delayed death sentence." Haku tensed, and he waved a hand, "Easy, easy. We have no such intentions unless you prove yourself an active threat to Konoha."

She relaxed. Slightly. "May I ask what the terms of this Diplomatic Leave entail?"

"You will be assigned an escort - a Caretaker, I believe the official term used will be - with whom you will share living space. The exact specifics of the living arrangement is between the two of you. Your Caretaker will still be allowed to take missions, and you will be allowed to accompany them, but under restriction. No A-ranks, for example, because you might slip their notice. You will still be paid for the completion of these missions, and you will not be required to bear Konoha's mark on them. You will be representing our hospitality, however," he warned her, "so please conduct yourself as you would on a mission for your home village."

She considered the terms for a moment. "So, in other words, I would be allowed to stay in Konoha, as a chuunin from Kirigakure, with only a few more restrictions than if I was actually part of Konoha's standing forces?"

"The restrictions are few, but severe. As a foreign ninja, you-" He looked uncomfortable, "You will not be allowed access to the Hospital, for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, this includes if you are injured, so please try to avoid that."

She nodded with a slight wince, and he continued, "The Academy is also off-limits, as are several other areas in both the village proper and the training areas." He shrugged, "I admit, I will need to actually dig up the paperwork for the exact terms. Other than that, you will be allowed to take missions and live your life normally."

"I see." All things considered, it was a much better deal than she was expecting. "Thank you, then, Hokage-sama."

"I'll contact your Caretaker-to-be and they should be here shortly. You're both dismissed."

"Sir."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<strong>

IT'S STILL JANUARY IT COUNTS.

*ahem*

So, Haku is in Konoha. And allowed to stay.

I could have had her take up the Leaf, I guess. Considering Zabuza's deathbed revelations and Haku's new resolve at his grave, though, that would have been a bit... off. Y'know? So. This happened instead.

I was actually a bit worried that it might be too convenient, but even if it is, I kinda need Haku in Konoha for the immediate future (No, not saying why) and this was the best way I could think of. So, yay, old misguided attempts at peace make themselves useful.

Hope you enjoy, but either way, let me know what you think! I'm not going to improve without feedback! ;)


	15. Chapter 13c

While the junior members of Team Seven had been dismissed, and so had no justifiable reason to hang around inside the Hokage Tower, that did not mean they could not hover outside the grounds. They were now technically off-duty, after all. It was their time to do with as they pleased. Two of them were worried about the kunoichi they had brought back to Konoha. Despite her political allegiance, and previously trying to kill them, she had become something of a friend on the trip back to Konoha. Naruto briefly considered if it was weird that most of his friends had attempted to kill him at least once. Meh, they were ninja, that kind of thing probably wasn't unusual, and besides, that was part of his charm.

His perspective was rather skewed in that regard – most times when ninja tried to kill one another, only one person walked away.

"So, what do you think's going to happen to her?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Dunno. I'd be surprised if the old man didn't at least try to get her to take up the Leaf." Though in all honesty, for someone who had never even set foot in Kiri, it wouldn't be that much of a defection. "But I don't see that happening. She was- She is still pretty devoted to that No-brows." Naruto turned to where Sasuke was leaning against the wall. "What do you think?"

He scoffed. "How should I know?" Sasuke was still attempting to pretend that he did not care. He was only still here because... because he needed to talk to Kakashi about something. Really. It wasn't like he actually cared about someone who'd tried to kill him. It wasn't like she'd somehow become a friend through association with his other friends. Idiots.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Naruto's face slowly split into a teasing grin. Whatever he was going to say was headed off by the appearance of Kakashi and Haku walking out onto the street.

Their Jounin raised a hand in greeting, "Yo," and was promptly mobbed by his students, clamoring for information. While he was calming them down and explaining the situation with Haku, she was surreptitiously moving closer to where Naruto was.

* * *

><p>"-and so we're just waiting here for Haku's Caretaker. Hokage-sama said they'd be here soon, but I honestly don't know how long that'll be."<p>

Haku nodded, "Do you think we could continue the tour-" She broke off what she was going to say in favor of quickly turning to deflect a kunai. The second projectile, in the shadow of the first, was caught with a needle through the ring on the grip, the blade spinning in place before her face.

That was a lethal attack, but there was no killing intent behind it. Haku thought, searching for the knives' source. Someone was testing me-

"Ara~!" Haku froze as a presence made itself known behind, the playful tone sending an uncomfortable chill down her spine. "Nice reflexes, kid!" The voice continued, its owner draping herself over Haku's shoulders – and it was definitely a her, Haku noted, the proof pressing against her back. "Your spatial awareness needs work, but you're definitely a keeper!" She leaned over Haku's shoulder and began rubbing her face against Haku's. "And such soft cheeks!" She cried in glee, pressing her face further against Haku's now profoundly disturbed expression, who almost cried in relief when Kakashi admonished her molester.

"Anko, please stop harassing the fifteen-year-old."

Mitarashi Anko, Infiltration and Reconnaissance Special Jounin occasionally seconded to ANBU Counter-Intelligence Division, looked up from where she was still wrapped around the young bloodline-user. "But it's so much fun!" she whined plaintively.

"Anko..." Kakashi fought the urge to roll his eye at Anko's facade.

"Oh, fine~." She pulled herself away from Haku's back, and the girl immediately moved behind Naruto, looking to him for protection against the strange woman. That it allowed her to rest her hands on his back had nothing to do with it. Anko whistled in appreciation at Haku's agility. "Fast, too."

"I'm guessing this means you're the Caretaker Hokage-sama assigned?" Kakashi asked.

Anko nodded happily. "I've always wanted such an adorable little sister, too! We're going to have so much fun!"

Haku shivered.

"Please tell me this is some kind of horrible joke," she begged.

Kakashi shrugged. "Probably not," He offered.

"Nope!" Anko confirmed.

"Like she says," Kakashi conceded, then, with a supremely casual motion, pulled a little orange book out of his equipment pouch.

_Hello, old friend. Now, I was on page- Here we go._

* * *

><p>Anko smirked at Haku when it became obvious that Kakashi had washed his hands of the situation. Haku shivered, feeling remarkably like a mouse that had been spotted by a snake. Then Anko disappeared.<p>

"All right, then!" she declared, her arm suddenly back around Haku's shoulders. "Since you'll be staying with me, how about we finish that tour of yours!" Haku looked frantic. How did she know about that? Wait, damn, she was talking about it when Anko first showed up! "Come on, I know all the best places in town! We can get you settled in at home afterwards." No, she wanted to be shown around by Naruto!

"No, wait, I-"

Whatever Haku was going to say was ignored and she and Anko disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Kakashi turned to see how his students were taking the news. Two of them seemed rather... shocked by Anko's appearance. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed pensive. "Something wrong, you three?"

"What the hell was she-" Sakura cut herself off. "I mean, no Kakashi-sensei. Nothing wrong."

_What the hell was she wearing,_ she screamed internally. It wasn't like she was unfamiliar with ninja mesh; lots of people used it. It was light and fairly hard-wearing, but as an armor all it could reliably prevent was minor injury – scratches and scrapes and such which could introduce poison. It wasn't like ninja really needed anything heavier, anyway. The best defense was to simply not be hit, and heavier armor would interfere with that goal. Any attack that couldn't be avoided was generally powerful enough that even the thickest armor would be useless as well.

To be most effective, however, the material needed to be taut, and therefore form-fitting. For this reason, plus its lightness, most people who used it wore it under their clothes or uniform. People who wore it as clothing on its own existed, but they were rare.

But Sakura had NEVER thought someone would go as far as to completely replace their wardrobe with the stuff!

_At least she was wearing a skirt,_ she thought, _but even with that coat, that can't be very warm._

* * *

><p>Sasuke had similar, if somewhat mixed and rather more haphazard thoughts, jumping from track to track in an almost jumbled mess. It had started with shock and surprise,<p>

_What the actual hell is she wearing?_

Then veered into consideration of practicality,

_I know that stuff's meant to be pretty useful, but is it really all that effective on its own?_

Then into appreciation of form over function,

_Although... It looked really tight on her. She must pretty perky if she can- wait, no, I mean she must bounce well if- No, I mean tits a good id- I MEAN HER BREASTS ARE AWESOME!_

_ SAGE DAMN IT, BRAIN!_

And then Sasuke had to admit that puberty was probably hitting him harder than he would have liked.

"Hn." he told his team-mates, attempting to nonchalantly wander away before he did or said something to give himself away. Kakashi deliberately did not snicker at the rising flush he'd caught on Sasuke's face before he turned away.

Ah, hormones...

* * *

><p>Naruto pondered the reason why someone would dress so. Wearing something form-fitting like that was a surefire way to be draw attention. With Anko's figure, it polarised that attention even further. It would be almost impossible to ignore someone so brazenly flaunting themselves, almost as difficult as ignoring someone covered in bright orange.<p>

He blinked.

It would be impossible unless you were actively trying to. Which was entirely the point of his own outfit. He was daring people to ignore him. Hateful glances and muttered insults hurt, but being utterly ignored like he didn't exist hurt even more. So he'd become loud. He dressed in loud colors, he talked loudly, whether people listened or not. Anko... Maybe she made herself such a figure of lust and envy for similar reasons?

* * *

><p><em>Don't you dare ignore me. Hate me, resent me, fear me; but don't EVER fucking ignore me.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<br>**

And lo, I have inadvertently made Sasuke a Tsundere... Oh, who am I kidding, he was a Tsundere in canon as well. :3

If any of you are wondering what the hell "Counter-Intelligence" is, well... It's the T&I unit.

Those of you who guessed Anko was the Caretaker, congratulations. There is actually a reason why it's Anko, but you'll have to wait to find out.

No, that reason is not Fanservice.

Perverts.

Also, yes, I know it's late. I blame Anko for this, she is surprisingly difficult for me to write.

As an apology, here, have an Omake.

DISCLAIMER: Omakes may or may not occur in canon FM, or they may just be humorous asides I thought of. They also may be in either the current or previous timelines, and either one will be noted.

* * *

><p><strong>Omake: Ibiki's Quest, part 1 (Canon(?), Konoha-That-Was)<strong>

Ibiki walked out of the interrogation room with a very restrained smile. That last one had been easy. He hadn't even needed to threaten. The prisoner, a nukenin chuunin picked up by a new genin team, had immediately capitulated in exchange for better conditions. He wasn't the first one, either. This new "We're the Nice Ones" rep Uzumaki was making famous was really making Ibiki's job easier. There was still the odd die-hard terrorist that he had to break out the big guns for, but on the whole, prisoners were more willing to spill their guts if they didn't think they'd be executed once they had nothing left to tell.

Granted, Konoha had always been "the nice guys", but only by comparison to the other villages. It was like comparing gray to black, but with Uzumaki and his almost magnetic charisma doing the rounds and preaching peace and tolerance and actually living by his own words, and Konoha had gone from gray to almost objectively white.

Which was a good thing, Ibiki confirmed. Peace was good. Co-operating prisoners was also good.

Well. Mostly good. There was one bad part.

Less obstinate prisoners meant less time at work in order to crack them. It meant less extraordinary interrogation sessions eating up his free time. Which meant, for the first time in Sage knew how long, Ibiki actually had free time.

And he had no idea how to use it.

He already had time set aside for training, and knew that there could be such a thing as too much. He had no desire to burn out from physical exhaustion. Then he'd thought maybe he could spend more time at work. There was always more (ugh) paperwork to deal with, and he might as well get it out of the way now. Perhaps that would be a productive use of his 'free time'.

* * *

><p>Once she'd heard of this, the Fifth had for some reason taken personal offense to the concept of someone willingly using their free time to complete paperwork. So she had called him into her office and then ordered him, in no uncertain terms, to make proper use of his free time and get away from his workplace. When he'd tried suggesting he take the paperwork home with him, she'd gaped at him like he'd suddenly proclaimed himself to be the reincarnated Ten-Tailed Beast. Then she ordered him to do something completely unrelated to his job.<p>

Well, so much for training to pass the time.

When he had asked what he should do, Tsunade (for it was Tsunade who was making these demands, he realised, and not in her capacity as the Fifth) had made an exasperated strangled noise and told him to get a damn hobby.

Ibiki had no hobbies. He'd never had the time.

He'd explained this to her, then asked what kind of hobby he should get. She'd said that a hobby should be "relaxing", but also "engaging" and "fulfilling". She had then suggested drinking as a hobby, pulling a really quite expensive-looking bottle from somewhere out of her desk.

Ibiki had politely declined.

She'd shrugged, popped it open and poured herself a dish. Ibiki left before Shizune could return and begin haranguing the Hokage for drinking on the job.

* * *

><p>So! Free time. Time to do with as he wished.<p>

Except not. He'd been ordered to find a hobby.

...So! A hobby. A "relaxing" yet also "engaging" and "fulfilling" activity that he could do in his spare time.

Ibiki had little experience with such things. He decided to ask his subordinates for advice.

* * *

><p>Well, that was a mostly unhelpful endeavour.<p>

Many of his subordinates had stared dumbly until he left. Most of those that hadn't had run off in terror.

Really, only one of them had remained and given advice worth considering.

* * *

><p>Anko had at first jokingly suggested sex and booze. When asked to be serious, she had then suggested cooking or being a connoisseur, pulling out a stick of dango from nowhere to eat before him as an example.<p>

She explained that when eating dango, the meal began before even the first bite - appearance was important. The sheen of the sauce, the color and shape of the dango itself, even the scent. If it looked or smelled unappetising, it would probably taste unappetising, as well.

She went on to explain how she decided on the size of each bite, and how it would affect the taste - larger bites would last longer, but smaller bites would release the flavor more quickly.

Where to bite, how, in what order, down to every nibble, and what to do once it was in her mouth to most enjoy the taste or the texture or both. As well, what flavors and textures to look for in good dango and how to savor the taste as it rolled over the tongue.

The demonstration also seemed to be as erotic as physically possible, with much panting and moaning and slow, sensual licks. When she was finished, licking the last drop of sauce from the stick, she shivered, her face flushed red, and moaned with satisfied longing.

Ibiki was only partly certain that she was putting on a performance for his benefit, when he heard a whimpering sound off to his right.

A number of male ninja were staring at Anko, awkwardly hunched over and lightly flushed.

Ah. Not necessarily HIS benefit, then.

Or at least not entirely; when she finished, she asked what he thought of the show. He'd told her, smirking, that while it was good to see her doing something she enjoyed, it perhaps wasn't for him. It certainly seemed fulfilling, yes, but relaxing...? He quirked an eyebrow at her current state, her flushed visage and quick, heaving breath.

...No. Definitely not relaxing.

She'd laughed, then agreed, before directing a smoldering look at their audience which had them tensing even further.

_DEFINITELY _not relaxing.


	16. Chapter 13d

Officially, the council did not exist. There was no council hall, no regular council meetings, nor any open affiliation with such a group.

Unofficially, there existed within Konoha certain individuals and groups who possessed enough personal, political, financial or military power, or some combination thereof, that they could 'advise' the Hokage. Certainly, they would never presume to force their opinions upon that prestigious seat. After all, Konoha was a military dictatorship, and in times of war, their opinion generally amounted to just that: opinion. In peacetime, though, a prominent banking group could control enough purse-strings that a Hokage ignoring or outright dismissing them out of hand would be... unwise. As these advisors _naturally_ served the village and their Hokage, they could, then, be likened to a village council.

Of course, no such political organisation truly existed. Konoha was a military dictatorship.

The Third Hokage hated the politics of it almost as much as he hated paperwork. Not that he knew, but so had the First, the Second and the Fourth Hokages, and all of his future successors would as well. Occasionally, he was half-tempted to make the whole thing official so they could just tell him whatever they wanted him to do, rather than dancing around the issue and feeling self-satisfyingly Machiavellian when he made a decision that just happened to coincide with their plans. The thought of granting some of those jackals legitimate authority, though, was usually enough to make him violently reject the idea. He did not muse on the topic very often for this very reason, but before him now stood one very good example of why he was reluctant to entrust legitimate authority to any of his advisors.

"Danzo. What are you here to complain about this time?"

"How rude, Hokage-sama. I have only ever offered you my counsel in good faith."

Debatable, Hiruzen sniped in the privacy of his own mind. But then, it's only ever been his methods that I've questioned, not his loyalty. He'd probably cut off his own arm if it was for the sake of Konoha, he thought, as he deliberately did not glance at Danzo's bandaged arm.

"Then, let me guess why you came here _in good faith_, Danzo."

"It would hardly be a guess."

"Young Haku, then."

"Momochi Zabuza's protégé, yes," Danzo confirmed in a clipped tone. "We can use her."

"I have no doubt we could," Hiruzen told him. He exhaled a breath of tobacco, "That doesn't mean we will."

"...No. It doesn't." Hiruzen's eyebrow crept up slightly. That had _almost_ been a sneer.

"You disagree, Danzo?"

"We have the opportunity to make up for the loss of the Sharingan with two bloodlines. The repopulation of the Uchiha was already in our hands, but now, we may also obtain the Hyouton. This is an advantage we cannot afford to pass over."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I believe there is an alternative."

"Do tell."

"Do you know what she wants to do?"

Danzo's silence conveyed the expected response – He didn't care.

"She wants to become the Mizukage."

"What of it?" Danzo asked before sighing, "You're going to let her, aren't you." Hiruzen nodded. "Why?"

"Because she also wants to restore Kirigakure." He exhaled a large breath of smoke as he leaned back in his chair. "Even though she has never visited the place, she knows it is in turmoil. More than that, she actually cares about what happens to it."

Danzo began, "All the better to-"

"I will not condone an invasion of Kiri, Danzo. We've been over this." There was silence as they met wills over the issue again. It ended after a few moments with Danzo breaking eye contact. Hiruzen did not take it as a victory. The old war hawk was too damn conniving to let such a petty defeat stall him for very long. Sure enough, he quickly began coming at the problem from a different angle.

"Then will you at least hold her here? She has already declared her allegiance for a foreign village."

"No. A politically stable Kirigakure is in everyone's best interests, Danzo." This time, he did not bother to hide his derision, scoffing at the concept. Hiruzen arched his brow, "Is it not?"

"No." Danzo insisted. "A politically stable Kiri is a Kiri that can turn its attention outwards, and begin antagonising other powers."

"It also means a stable military presence at sea," Hiruzen countered, "Which in turn means consistent protection for island settlements and long-distance travel by ship. I don't have to tell you that increased prosperity for coastal nations is a good thing." Danzo didn't bother conceding the point. Konoha had been seeing increasing requests to deal with pirates since the civil war in Kiri had begun in earnest, and it was beginning to overtax them. "At least, I hope I don't."

"You believe she will grant that? That she can become Mizukage and unite Kiri under a stable regime?"

"Assuming the current leader doesn't succeed first... Yes," Hiruzen admitted.

"Eventually." He continued to protest. "You are willing to pass on the immediate benefits of turning her to our purposes on the _possibility_ of a stable military power at sea, that may or may not decide to play nice later because we did now?"

"I am." He shrugged, an action he knew would antagonise the other man, "I must."

It seemed Danzo had finally lost patience with the meeting at that. He spat one last condemnation, "Madness," and turned to leave.

"Danzo." Hiruzen stopped him, "You and yours are not to touch her while she is here," he warned in a level tone. "I will know if you do." The only response to that was statuesque silence. "Don't push me on this, old friend. Eternal war benefits no one."

"While eternal peace lasts only until the next war," was the rebuttal, as he resumed his exit.

"Better than no peace at all," was the sad reply, as he watched him leave.

* * *

><p>Kakashi froze as the door to the Hokage's office swung open to reveal someone he really didn't want to run into. The man's single visible eye flicked, briefly, to the orange book in Kakashi's hands, before fixing him with a cold stare.<p>

"...Hatake," Danzo greeted him.

"...Shimura," Kakashi responded in kind.

And that was apparently that. Kakashi stepped aside to allow the elder ninja to walk past. Age before beauty, after all.

"Kakashi?"

"Ah, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi waited until the door was completely closed behind him before continuing, "I was hoping to talk to you about Haku."

"You as well?" Sarutobi sighed.

"I take it Danzo didn't approve of the plan."

"He did not. So, what couldn't you talk to me about earlier?"

"Well," His hand came up to rub his neck, "It's not so much the plan itself as- Why Anko?"

"Ah." Sarutobi took a moment to collect his thoughts. How to phrase the reason for this...? "How much do you know about Anko's past, Kakashi?"

"Not that much, to be honest. There's a lot of redacted information in her personnel file, but I know she was a wartime genin, and used to be Orochimaru's apprentice." Sarutobi nodded.

"That's why." He was met with bemusement. "Anko and Haku's circumstances are similar enough; they were both trained by and looked up to highly skilled individuals who treated them as assets to be used and discarded. The only real difference I can think of is that Zabuza actually did care about Haku on some level above utility."

"So, you're hoping that Anko can help Haku deal with her issues by sharing her own experience with them?" Kakashi winced at Sarutobi's nod. "Hokage-sama, with all due respect, Anko... She hasn't really dealt with those problems herself for the most part."

"I know."

Kakashi blinked, "You know? But then, why- How would-?"

"It is my hope that they can help each other. Their circumstances are similar, yes, but different enough that they might be able to help the other without feeling self-conscious about it," Sarutobi grimaced, "I admit it's not a perfect plan, but I suspect the both of them are too proud to submit to counseling. That seems a common failing among sufficiently skilled or powerful ninja," he finished with a warm, albeit pointed, look in Kakashi's direction.

"Yes, Gai-kun is rather adamant about his mental stability," the jounin chirped. Sarutobi snorted in response.

"So, was there anything else, Kakashi? I hate to be rude, but I must get back to..." He trailed off into a forlorn sigh as he indicated the masses of paper on his desk. Kakashi nodded and turned to leave.

"No, that-" He paused, "Actually. Yes, there was. It's about Naruto."

"Naruto?"

"Yes. There's something," he struggled for the right word, "off about him. He appears loud and straightforward, and I think he actually is, but... it feels like, sometimes, he's following a script only he knows about." His brow furrowed. "No, that's actually a lot like what it is. I can't quite put it into words, but it's a similar impression I'd get from a ninja on a deep-cover assignment." Sarutobi stiffened at that. "Most of the time he's playing a role, but other times that role slips ever so slightly. The hell of it is that I think the role he's trying to play is his own. Like he's pretending to be himself."

"Kakashi." Sarutobi interrupted, "Do you think Naruto has been compromised?"

"No. No, that's not it," Kakashi assured him, "Like I said, it's as though he's trying to pretend to be himself. I can't really point to any one example of proof, it's just a gut feeling - this weird dissonance around him sometimes." He sighed, "I really just don't know, Hokage-sama."

"I've had similar suspicions."

"What?"

"Naruto, and a number of his peers, displayed an abrupt change in the Academy, which their teacher and parents made note of. It was brought to my attention through them. This is just one more piece of the puzzle, but it's like trying to build a house without blueprints."

"Incredibly frustrating?"

"You have no idea," Sarutobi growled in a rare moment of open annoyance, "Thank you, Kakashi. Just keep an eye on him for now. I sincerely doubt that Naruto of all people is a threat to the village, but... Just in case."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<strong>

YAY PLOLITIKS AND SARCASTIC OLD MEN

*ahem*

I strongly dislike Danzo. He thinks he's a MUCH better Chessmaster than he actually is and interprets all the negative consequences of his meddling as totally not his fault and instead vindicating his own paranoid worldview, that everyone else are enormous dicks and Konoha can only survive/triumph by being even bigger dicks. Writing for him while avoiding bashing is going to be a real challenge, especially considering I'm pretty sure he's directly or indirectly responsible for nearly every crisis Konoha faces within Naruto's lifetime (minus Tobi).

However, it's been made easier by keeping this in mind; He is loyal. He really does think he's acting in Konoha's best interests, and in a lot of ways, he's just like Hiruzen, with one fundamental difference.

Danzo thinks war is inevitable.

Oh, and the Council. This fucking plot feels like I see it everywhere in Naruto fanfiction, and I am divided on the matter.I hate it, mostly because it always seems to be used as an excuse to have a faceless, monolithic authority figure (FIGHT DA MAN!1) politically castrate Hiruzen and do things to Naruto and/or his friends in order to justify the Dark!GodModeSue!Not!Naruto that they want to write because OMFG U GAIZ DIS NAY-REW-TOE HAZ DA RINNEGAN AND DA SHARINGAN AND HE IS SOOO MUCH BETTER THAT THE CANON VERSION BECUZ DARK ADN EGDY PLZ NO FLAME and other such affronts to grammar and good taste etc etc.

I love it, because people are not mindless automatons and even in a military monarchy there are going to be people pushing the boundaries of what they can get away with, especially in a village that allows as many freedoms as Konoha.


End file.
